A 60-member SAARC delegation visited the Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage) museum at Shakarparian on Wednesday.
The delegation comprised of Ministerial Council members who attended SAARC agreement meetings on Trade in Services (SAFTA) and Committee of Experts meeting under the aegis of the Pakistani ministry of commerce. On arrival, the guests were warmly received by senior Lok Virsa officials, who briefed them about the museum’s operations as a leading public sector cultural institution. The delegates were informed that Lok Virsa dealt with the documentation and preservation of Pakistan’s cultural heritage. Lok Virsa collaborates with an extensive network of community-based organisations, regional associations, NGOs, intellectuals, researchers, folk artists and artisans from across the country. The delegation was taken around various cultural and three-dimensional creative displays at the Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology, popularly known as the Heritage Museum which is spread over 60,000 square feet. The museum showcases depictions of indigenous folk culture and lifestyles of the people of Pakistan, including those living in remote areas. The delegates took keen interest in the displays, especially the Hall of Antiquity and Continuity portraying ancient civilisations like Mehergarh, Moenjodaro, Harappa and Gandhara and the continuity of these civilisations in present times. They were also extremely delighted to see the truck art displays which are samples of dazzling, art work done on vehicles and other means of transportation and found in abundance in Pakistan. The decorations are not done only on trucks and buses but on all kinds of vehicles like tankers, mini-buses, trucks, rickshaws, horse carriages and even donkey carts. The delegation greatly lauded Lok Virsa’s efforts in documenting and preserving the indigenous folk culture of Pakistan. A Nepalese member of the delegation recorded his comments in the visitor’s book, saying the museum was “Informative and well arranged cultural museum- Wonderful and good to visit here”. Another visitor from Bhutan remarked: “A beautiful presentation on contemporary history and culture of Pakistan”. Earlier, the guests also visited the Pakistan Monument Museum in the western part of Shakarparian. Dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for a better tomorrow, the museum depicts the history, struggle for freedom, emergence and development of Pakistan through 3-dimensional dioramic displays. The museum also presents key achievements of the country after independence, particularly in the fields of culture, tourism, education, defence, communication, science and technology, sports, industries, empowerment of women and other important and diverse sectors. At the museum, one can also see glimpses of the meritorious services rendered by the founder of Pakistan, Qauid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, national poet and philosopher Allama Iqbal and a number of other national heroes and freedom fighters.
