BAHAWALPUR: Being custodian of rich culture of the region, Islamia University of Bahawalpur and its Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mehboob initiated the Culture and Heritage Research Centre to cope with certain challenges.
This team unearthed one of the sites at Hakran last year in the patronage of Dean Faculty of Natural Sciences Prof. Dr Shazia Anjum.
However, there are many gaps to fill in the research of Hakra River’s remains and habitat. The field of archaeology in Pakistan is not well-developed and the discipline is not flourished up to its mark through Punjab. Maritime archaeology as a specialty is missing with scarcity in this field.
To bridge the gap, Culture & Heritage Research Centre’s Muhammad Waqar Mushtaq & Moazzam Khan Durrani organised an online meeting with MAHI’s (Maritime Archaeology Heritage institute) Hibba Hashmi & Amer Bazel Khan.
Both institutes chalked out areas of common interest and agreed to ink an MOU in the near future. The IUB team extended an invitation to the team at MAHI to visit south Punjab and explore the Hakra River bed and Indus Queen.
MAHI team offered capacity building training to faculty and students in the field of Maritime Archaeology tentatively arranged by the month of January.
Team IUB asked MAHI team to organize online lectures to spread awareness among the new students of archaeology and anthropology about maritime archaeology and heritage.
In this way, both the institutions would work together to preserve and present the hidden treasure of the region specifically the Hakra Valley Civilization and the old Trade Route through Indus River.
The cultural remains of the region are not only an identity but also carry a legacy yet to be unearthed and unveiled. Preservation, presentation and publication of this historically-rich region is necessary and deserves the attention of academicians and researchers. (Edited by Khadijah Kamili)
Read more: IUB holds workshop on Child Labor
