Islamabad: Adviser to Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage (NH&LH), Irfan Siddiqui Thursday announced that foundation stone of ‘National Museum of Pakistan’ will be laid at federal capital early next year. He was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of week-long exhibition titled ‘Cultural Heritage of Pakistan’ kicked off at Islamabad Museum, Sir Syed Memorial. The exhibition was arranged by Department of Archaeology and Museums (DoAM), as part of 70th Independence Anniversary Celebrations of Pakistan. Addressing the gathering, Irfan Siddiqui said that his division has acquired necessary funds for establishing the state-of-the-art museum to be built at three and half acres land allocated at Shakarparian, adjacent to Lok Virsa. He said, the necessity for having a national museum has been felt since long and it would help preserve the rich cultural heritage of the country for next generations. Irfan Siddiqui said Pakistan has traces of human activities during the Stone Age period. The Indus Valley, ‘Gandhara’ and ‘Islamic’ civilizations are some glimpses of glorious and rich cultural heritage of the region. He said with the continuous efforts of experts, Pakistan has the honour to save six archaeological sites on World Heritage list of UNESCO which is a huge success. Pakistan has also registered 26 archaeological sites on tentative list of UNESCO out of which eight sites were registered during the last year with the efforts of this division, he said. Irfan Siddiqui said museums are repositories of a nation’s cultural heritage through which the visitors from home and abroad can gain insight into rich fabric of the past which help determine their present and future. Adviser to Prime Minister, Irfan Siddiqui said this week-long exhibition will be a source of inspiration for the youngsters and educate them about their history and culture and also promote soft image of the country. Earlier, Irfan Siddiqui formally inaugurated the exhibition and took round of the Islamabad Museum hall to see the artefacts. Federal Secretary, NH&LH, Engineer Aamir Hasan and Joint Secretary Capt (r) Abdul Majeed Niazi and Director General, DoAM, Syed Junaid Akhlaq also spoke on the occasion. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries, ambassadors from Turkey, France and Sri Lanka, UNESCO officials, archaeological experts, researchers and a number of students from different educational institutions.
