The Ambassador of Italy in Pakistan HE Andreas Ferrarese accompanied by the Consul of Italy in Karachi HE Danilo Giurdanella and other Attaches visited the site of ancient capital of Sindh i.e. Banbhore on Saturday, 13 February, 2021.
Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Secretary Ghulam Akbar Laghari and Director General Antiquities Manzoor Ahmed Kanasiro welcomed the Italian delegation.
The Ambassador and the Consul General were on their first visit to Banbhore, and they were apprised about the historical significance of the site. They visited the excavation area, old mosque area, and the museum of Banbhore.
The Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah briefed them about the history of Banbhore and said that Banbhore was the ancient capital of Sindh, so there are thousands of stories lying under this site which are waiting to be unearthed.
Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that the aecheological mission of Italy under the supervision of Professor Valeria has worked tremnedous on the site of Banbhore, and that of Makran as well. But due to the CoviD-19, they couldn’t visit Sindh the previous year.
“The Department is committed to get the research work published as soon as they come and resume the research work”, he further elaborated.
He said that Ranikot fort should also be researched as its still a virgin site, and nobody knows about its confirmed origin yet.
He said that the fort is built by the stone, and the
Italians are expert in this regard. We want to establish a Radio-Carbon laboratory in Jamshoro or Karachi with Italy, wherein the infrastucture would be provided by the Government of Sindh, whereas the scientific assistance would be sought from Italy.
He said that the cultural samples from the sites could only be decoded wih the help of Radio-carbon scinetific laboratories
The visiting delegation and the Minister Culture agreed that the cultural exchanges between Italy and Sindh would be initiated once the CoviD episode is over.
The Minister said that after the 18th amendment in the Consitition of Pakistan, the archeology and tourism is the provincial subject. And Federal Government has nothing to do with archoelogy and tourism. He lamented that the federal government has never been seriously concerned about the history of provinces as they have not paid a single penny to Sindh, and never supported us financially.
The Secretary Ghulam Akbar Laghari briefed the Italian diplomatic delegation about the significance of Banbhore for its history, culture and folklore of Sindh.
The Ambassador and the Consul General took keen interest in knowing the historical and cultural aspects of Banbhore, and asked many questions from the Secretary Culture Ghulam Akbar Laghari.
The Ambassador of Italy HE Andreas Ferrarese informed the Minister that there are a lot of coopertive works being done between Pakistan and Italy in different sectors including archology, energy, trade and commerce.
He said that he was grateful for the hospitality as he has experienced in Sindh, and felt wonderful after knowing the civilizational hisotry of Sindh that is quite similar than that of Rome.
The director general Antiquities Manzoor Ahmed Kanasiro and Director Heritage Abdul Fatah Shaikh briefed the diplomatic delegation about the archeological work done at site, and shwoed them the artifacts showcased in the Museum.
The Minister Syed Sardar Shah presented the delegation with cultural gifts of Sindh, the Ajrak and the trilingual Ganj of Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai as republished by the department.
