Delay in transfer of land: USD6.79m S Korean grant for national museum at risk

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel was told on Thursday that Pakistan risks losing a USD 6. 79 million South Korean grant for a planned national museum as authorities have yet to resolve the transfer of land earmarked for the project. In a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on National Heritage and Culture, chaired by Hidayatullah Khan, officials said that the proposed National Museum is to be built at Shakarparian, but the transfer of the required land has remained pending for years. They warned that the delay in resolving the land issue could cost Pakistan the South Korean grant, prompting the panel to direct the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture to resolve the matter at the earliest. At the outset of the meeting, the committee expressed serious displeasure over the absence of senior CDA officials, noting that no senior official from the authority had attended the meeting. Hidayatullah directed the Ministry of Interior to convey the committee’s displeasure to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and urged him to address the absence of CDA officials from parliamentary committee meetings. Committee members warned government institutions against ignoring parliamentary committees, saying such conduct would not be tolerated. The committee also reviewed a range of issues relating to the protection and preservation of the country’s historic sites and antiquities. Shehadat Awan, a committee member, raised concerns over the condition and preservation of Ranikot Fort in Sindh, which is on UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage list. He said the historic site had not received adequate attention from the federal government. Awan also questioned the lack of co-ordination over the Great Wall of Sindh, also known as the Wall of Asia, despite interest from international organisations in its preservation. The Ministry of National Heritage and Culture told the committee that Pakistan had trained officials to prepare nomination dossiers for UNESCO and had requested the organisation to consider more than one Pakistani dossier annually. The ministry said Pakistan had recently secured UNESCO recognition for borendo, a traditional earthen musical instrument, and was working to have the ancient site of Bhambhore included on the World Heritage List. The committee also sought details about 523 antiquities repatriated from the United States, including how the objects were illegally removed from Pakistan and what action had been taken against those responsible. Members expressed concern over encroachments around protected heritage sites and directed the ministry to ensure enforcement of the required 200-foot buffer zone. The committee was further informed that culture ministers from member states of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) had been invited to this year’s Lok Virsa festival. It approved a report on the administration and renovation of Karachi’s Mazar-e-Quaid and considered a proposal to convert the Radio Pakistan Karachi building into a museum. The committee called for an increase in the heritage budget and urged the ministry to develop revenue-generating models based on cultural, archaeological and heritage tourism. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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