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LAHORE, Sep 14 (APP):United States (US) Consul General to Lahore Kristin Hawkins has said she is fascinated by the rich cultural heritage, religious artefacts, architectural magnificence, historicity and inter-faith harmony illustrated through worship places of different religions within the ramparts of the Lahore Fort.
Talking to the media during a visit to the iconic Lahore Fort, she said: “I had heard about the rich history and culture of Lahore as well as Punjab when I was posted here, and I am privileged to be here to see the magic casements of history and culture.”
The newly-appointed US consul general was visiting the Lahore Fort on the invitation of the Agha Khan Cultural Services, which had been entrusted with restoring and preserving the seven endangered sites within the Lahore Fort under the US government’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP).
About her impressions of the 500 years old fort, the consul general said: “It was such an amazing experience to visit the Lahore Fort and see diversity of the historic site”, adding that she was impressed with the relics from the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh religion, which illustrated the rich cultural diversity and inter-faith experience that Pakistan had for the past so many centuries.
Earlier, Ms. Hawkins expressed her delight for the fact that the US government was able to support cultural preservation in Pakistan along with its partners like the Agha Khan Cultural Service and the Walled City Authority Lahore (WCLA), adding the US government had invested one million dollars to restore and preserve seven sites at the Lahore Fort.
She said similar 32 projects worth US$7.6 million were being undertaken across Punjab to preserve Pakistan’s diverse and rich cultural history for future generations of Pakistan and to support economic growth in Pakistan.
Regarding the AFCP-funded Lahore Fort preservation projects, the US consul general said one interesting aspects of this initiative was that the US government was providing internships to the young Pakistani students so that they could get trained cultural preservation skills.
Kristin Hawkins’ amazement was aroused by the grandeur of the Mughal royal courts, inlaid Persian floral designs, fresco work, the recently unearthed Sikh and Hindu temple sites, marvelous Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors) and drainage re-routing of Sheesh Mahal quadrangle. She showed keen interest in the projects and admired the work of archaeologists, artisans and engineers for their work to restore and preserve the historic architectural masterpieces.
Ms. Hawkins was also welcomed with symbolic welcome by the courtiers at the Deewan-e-Khas-o-Aam while she also took a selfie with the Badshahi Masjid, Ranjit Singh’s Samadhi and Fort rampart in the background.