Proposed sites can add to the country’s existing six Unesco recognised locations
Repair work being carried out at Mohenjo Daro heritage site in Sindh province of Pakistan.Sindh government
Pakistan will nominate five new locations across the country to be officially recognised for the Unesco World Heritage Site list. The move aims to preserve the country’s various historic archaeological sites and promote Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage.
The sites expected to be shortlisted include the Karez system in Balochistan, Hiran Minar in Punjab, Ranigat Buddhist ruins in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Port of Banbhore and Nagarparkar cultural landscape in Sindh.
If all the anticipated sites become formally recognised, the new additions would increase Pakistan’s current number of Unesco World Heritage Sites from six to 11.
Pakistan’s current roster of Unesco sites includes the Takht-i-Bahi and Sahr-i-Bahlol Buddhist ruins in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the Mohenjo Daro archaeological ruins and Makli monuments in Sindh. Meanwhile, in Punjab, there are the Fort and Shalamar Gardens, Taxila, and Rohtas Fort.
What happens next?
The process for adding new landmarks to Unesco’s list is lengthy. Prior to the nominations themselves, countries must first create a ‘tentative list’ where potential sites and ruins with cultural or historical significance can be added. Places not acknowledged in the country’s respective tentative list cannot be selected for Unesco.
Pakistan currently has 26 total sites on its tentative list. The most recent entries are the Derawar and the Desert Forts of Cholistan, added in 2016, while the very first entry was the Chaukhandi Tombs in Karachi, added in 1993.
The organisation has also outlined 10 key criteria principles for consideration. These rules cover both natural and cultural guidelines, such as “to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance,” and “to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared,” as indicated on their website.
Following nominations, Unesco then conducts its own evaluations before revealing the results at an annual committee meeting where collective decisions are taken regarding the addition of new sites.
Recent developments
The Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khich, recently met with the Unesco Representative in Pakistan, Fuad Pashayev, as the two discussed future Unesco events and developments in the country.
Notably, the minister had specifically, “requested Unesco’s support in adding more Pakistani sites to the World Heritage List,” according to reports from the Associated Press of Pakistan.
The agenda also covered talks about upcoming workshops in October and November of this year, that are largely directed at improving the country’s capability of managing heritage sites.
Reference Link:- https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/five-pakistani-sites-nominated-for-unesco-world-heritage-list-1.500208293