Syed Ali Zafar, Federal Minister for IBNH&LH while chairing 1st Meeting of Co-ordination Committee on Heritage sites of Pakistan here today, said that it was imperative to integrate culture in education with a view to promote and preserve fascinating cultural heritage of Pakistan. “Preserving heritage is fundamental to uphold country’s national identity” he said. He said that culture & heritage brought people together and provided them a sense of unity and belonging to their history. Information Minister said that a dialogue and discussion should be initiated with concerned Federal and Provincial education departments to coalesce culture and education. Syed Ali Zafar said that information sharing with regard to preservation of heritage sites of the country was vital for better liaison and co-ordination at Federal and Provincial levels. The Minister appreciated the proposal of holding the meeting of Co-ordination Committee on Heritage sites of Pakistan, once in three months and directed the concerned authorities to prepare terms of references to further solidify co-ordination mechanism between federal and provincial levels. Dr. Syed Junaid Ali Shah, Minister for Culture, Government of Sindh and Ch. Muhammad Saeed, Minister for Culture, Government of AJK also gave their inputs and insights before the committee to preserve the cultural heritage and historical legacies to project the positive image of Pakistan. Director General DOAM,Syed Junaid Akhlaq also briefed the committee on the significance of documenting historical heritage sites alongside the grand trunk road, covering Pakistani areas. The Minister was also briefed regarding the impact of Orange Line train on the heritage sites particularly the Shalimar Garden on its universal value as well as about the current status of Makli Hills, Thatta by the respective provincial authorities. Ms. Vibeke Jensen, Country Director, UNESCO said that they wanted to promote culture as part and parcel of sustainable development goals as culture had the potential to advance economy and industry by promoting tourism. The meeting was attended by Engr. Aamir Hasan Secretary, NH&LH Division, Syed Junaid Akhlaq, Joint Secretary, NH&LH Division, Mr. Nazir Ahmad, Joint Secretary, NH&LH Division, Ms. Vibeke Jensen, Country Director, UNESCO, Mr. Muhammad Ayoub Chaudhry, Secretary for Youth, Affairs, Sports, Archaeology & Tourism Govt. of Punjab, Mr. Ghulam Akbar Leghari, Secretary, Information & Culture, Govt. of Sindh, Mr. Jamshaid Khan, Deputy Secretary, Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of KPK, Mr. Rabnawaz Abbasi, Deputy Secretary, NH&LH Division, Mr. Haroon ur Rashid, Section Officer, NH&LH Division and Mr. Abdul Azeem, Director, DOAM, Islamabad.
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