MANSEHRA:Department of Archaeology Hazara University Mansehra, in collaboration with the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Wednesday organized the first international workshop as part of the Pakistan-UK Education Gateway Programme.
The two-day workshop, titled ‘Archaeology and Heritage of the British Period in Pakistan’, was inaugurated by Advisor to the Chief Minister for Tourism, Archaeology, and Historic Sites Zafar Mahmood.
While addressing the inaugural session, Zafar Mahmood stated that the Hazara Division holds a unique position worldwide regarding ancient artifacts, historical sites and civilizations.
He praised the Department of Archaeology at Hazara University for its outstanding efforts in discovering and preserving historical artifacts. Mahmood further emphasized that alongside ancient heritage, KP also holds great significance in the field of tourism, and the provincial government was committed to further enhancing and improving the tourism sector, including ancient heritage.
He assured that the government would utilize all available resources to bring progress, development, and expansion in both these fields, and the needs of Hazara University would be prioritized on a preferential basis.
Zafar Mahmood highlighted that universities were the source of creative knowledge and their establishment aims to provide solutions to various issues.
Director of Archaeology Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr Abdul Samad while speaking at the event said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been a junction of various civilizations and religions, and the Directorate of Archaeology was actively playing its role in their discovery and preservation.
He mentioned that so far, 22 historical sites related to religious tourism had been discovered in different locations of the province, and work was afoot to preserve them through various projects, which will contribute to the promotion of both domestic and international tourism.
Dr Abdul Samad further stated that progress was also being made in the establishment of field laboratories through international funding to preserve the historical artifacts found in excavated areas, and discussions were held with Italian police authorities to prevent the smuggling of artifacts.
Whereas, Vice-Chancellor Hazara University Professor Dr Mohsin Nawaz said that the Archaeology Department of the university holds a unique position at the national and international level due to its research activities and services in the field of ancient artifacts. He also highlighted the significance of the presence of experts in ancient artifacts, education, and historians in the workshop.