THATTA: The world heritage committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has given another year to the government to take adequate measures to ensure protection and preservation of the Makli necropolis, failing which the world organisation may downgrade the status of the monument and put it on its list of endangered sites, fear conservationists.

Unesco has already declared `endangered` two historical monuments, Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens, in the country over the continued government failure to take appropriate measures for their maintenance.

The Unesco committee convened a 10-day convention in July this year at Istanbul, Turkey, which heard the arguments by Pakistan on proper protection, preservation and maintenance of one of the largest graveyard in the Muslim world and agreed to give another year to the country to take appropriate and effective measures for the protection of the monument, according to sources privy to the meeting.

The convention was attended by over 1,500 delegates from around the world, and Pakistan was represented by prominent archaeologist and former director general of Sindh archeology department Qasim Ali Qasim.The sources told Dawn on Sunday that International Committee of Conservation and Site Monuments would prepare a report to be tabled before UNESCO`s advisory committee headquarters at Paris in the last week of February 2017 for examination and the final report would be submitted to the annual convention of the next world heritage committee scheduled to be convened in Marrakech, Morocco, next year, where the report would be tackled as an agenda to decide the fate of the necropolis.

The issue had kept echoing around the world following publication of reports in me dia about government neglect and unchecked encroachments, improper maintenance, lack of protective measures and boundary wall and frequent incidents of thefts of and damage to the precious stones in the shines in the necropolis which showcased 400 years of Sindh history between the 14th & 18th centuries, the Samma period (1340 AD to 1520 AD), the Arghoons (1520 to 1555 AD), the Turkhans (1555 to 1592 AD), Mughals (1592 to 1729 AD) and Kalhora`s (1729 to 1782 AD).

The necropolis situated at around 98 kilometres from Karachi has half a million graves and magnificent monuments made from engravedstoneslikethoseofJamNizamuddin, Jam Tamachi, Essa Khan Turlchan, Khusro Khan Charkas, Deewan Sharfa Khan, SultanIbrahim and others.

The fate of the graveyard, spread over about six square kms, did not change even after change of custodians when the federal government handed it over to the provincial government after the passage of the 18th amendment, said the sources.

A team of UNESCO and representatives of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) visited the site in the wake of consecutive flash floods in 2010 and afterwards which did damage to the necropolis, and proposed to the country to take certain steps to improve the graveyard`s condition, said the sources.

A large number of flood victims had stayed at the necropolis during and after the 2010 flash floods and many of whom unknowingly spoiled the beauty of the monuments since they were not aware of their historical importance while the few staffers of the archeological department deputed there could not control the crowd.

Since the government had made little progress over the UNESCO`s recommendations, conservationists feared, the necropolis might be downgraded and put on the organisation`s list of endangered monuments, which would put the country in an embarrassing situation internationally.

If the next UNESCO committee meetingdecided to downgrade the status of the necropolis, it would be the third such world heritage site in Pakistan after Lahore fort and Shalamar gardens to be declared `endangered` for lack of maintenance, they said.

Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Archaeology Syed Sardar Ali Shah who is reported to have taken notice of the UNESCO committee`s concerns called for stern action at a recent meeting against the elements involved in encroaching upon the land in the necropolis and damaging or stealing away rare artifacts.

Former DG of culture department and a prominent historian Dr Muhammad Ali Manjhi, heritage lovers Sadiq Lakho, Sattar Behrani and others said that no work had been carried out in the necropolis for the past six to eight months excepting a two feet high stone foundation raised only along one side the Makli-Jhimpir Road.

They said that UNESCO had been consistently suggesting since 2006 employment of considerable staff including a curator for the protection of the site and deputation of a permanent curator and conservator round the year but the suggestions appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.

They said that despite repeated requests to the authorities concerned the practice of burial of dead bodies by villagers in the protected area of necropolis continued unabated.