US Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland and U.S. Consul General in Lahore Nina Maria Fite visited the Lahore Fort (Shahi Qila) and Badshahi Mosque Saturday to pay their respect to Lahore’s rich cultural history. During his visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Chargé viewed the Alamgiri Gate which was restored in 2009 with a grant from the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
Speaking to the media on the steps of the Badshahi mosque, the Chargé remarked over U.S. government’s pride in helping to restore cultural sites like the Alamgiri gate and Wazir Khan Mosque. He hoped that the US support to repair the sites would both preserve Pakistan’s national heritage and help these sites remain a vital part of the community in Lahore for future generations to come. The US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided more than $1.8 million towards 17 different cultural and archeological projects in Pakistan over the past decade. Ten of these 17 sites were in the province of Punjab.
