By Iftikhar Ahmed

ISLAMABAD, Jul 9 (APP):Preserving history and artifacts at museums keeps future generations of any motherland abreast of knowledge and past glory where a few racks bearing memorable heritage reveal the saga of ages.

It is very plausible when people entering a museum join a world of criss-cross timelines of history with the relics and artifacts displayed over there telling untold stories and unrecognized memories of quaint times.

“Don’t go to a museum with a destination. Museums are wormholes to other worlds. They are ecstasy machines. Follow your eyes to wherever they lead you…and the world should begin to change for you,” once said the Pulitzer prize winner American art critic Jerry Saltz.

Therefore, the museums are not the graves of past but archives of history and culture whereby every single object resuscitates and pulsates life. Such a ‘wormhole to the other worlds’ is the “Multan Museum.”

“Likely to be ready by December this year, the Multan Museum would unfold the history of ancient Multan and ethnic and geographical saga of Mooltani culture and politics,” said Muhammad Hassan, Deputy Director Archaeology South Punjab.

“It would be yet another feather in the cap of Multani culture revealing ancient times to younger generation and art and history lovers,” he said.

The project carrying a tentative cost of Rs 80 million was approved in 2021-22 after a decade long struggle and aspirations of the students, intellectuals and academia of South Punjab.

After its approval almost a decade back, it had remained under execution for quite some time but was then shelved declaring it unsuitable due to noise and dust pollution and for security reasons.

The then DCO Multan Naseem Sadiq dismantled its parking space in 2012 for expansion of city’s main artery passing through the traffic-and-trade-busy Ghanta Ghar cross-section.

“The Punjab government had approved in year 2012 to convert a century old Victorian era clock tower located in the heart of city, into a museum at an estimated cost of Rs 40 million,” recalled Malik Ghulam Muhammad, the then Incharge Archaeology Department Multan.

“It was our long desire to have a museum in Multan and we continued struggle for it despite all odds,” he stated and revealed how he persuaded the then Secretary Tourism Punjab, Ehsaan Bhutta and Member Board of Revenue Babar Hayat Tarar to get approved 10 kanal land for the museum.

He said Wapda wanted this six-Kanal Nazool land to build a grid station but after their proposal failed, we moved forward to have a museum on this land.

“Multanites are finally having a museum right in front of archaeology office Multan – at the feet of historical Qasim fort mound and just a few hundred yards far from previous site of clock tower,” he said joyously.

Coming from the ancient Greek and Roman mythologies, the word “mouseion” – “the Seat of Muses” mentions to each of nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences and was used as a philosophical institution or a place for contemplation. The origin shows that the museums we see now-a-days are developed in a way to serve as centers of learning, knowledge, especially for students and researchers.

Being constructed with an aim of depicting our history and culture the Multan museum houses four galleries, a library-cum-meeting hall, laboratory, cafeteria, vast parking space, boundary wall with gates and a breast wall against the slope of Qasim Fort.

Around 80 per cent of the work is completed with signs of Mughal era Muslim architecture – a visible main dome is curved but slightly flat at the centre of roof and 16 domelets, eight above the front and four each on left and right sides. Facade of the museum is decorated with Multani glazed tiles in traditional shades of blue depicting geometrical designs.

“Multan has 5000 years old history that qualified it to have a museum,” remarked columnist, comic writer and Secretary General Multan Tea House, Khalid Masud Khan. “It could have been done much earlier. But, it is still heartening to know that Multaniites are finally going to have this facility later this year.”

Recalling his childhood, Khalid Masud said, decades back he had seen many articles of historical significance like 8-10 Maunds heavy stone inscribed with lines in Arabic and Persian languages at ‘Nigar Khana’, a shop selling traditional and novelty items at Qasim fort.

“Such artifacts and those kept in stores of archaeology department and the collection of some traditional families of South Punjab should be displayed at Multan museum,” he said.

“People should be requested to decorate the museum with whatever articles of historical significance they have.”

Renowned columnist Shakir Hussain Shakir also opined that remains and articles discovered during excavation of Multan sites by archaeologists Mirza Ibn-e-Hanif and Zubair Shafi Ghauri, presently placed at Seraiki Research Centre of BZU can also be brought to Multan museum.

“Once we have a museum, it is time to display here our preserved artifacts and heritage to reveal the ancient Mooltan to our younger generation,” he stated. “Let us do it together to preserve our ancient assets.”

By Mashkoor Naqvi

ISLAMABAD, Jul 9 (APP):Constructed in the 1990s as country’s one of flagship projects, Pakistan motorway had presented a plausible travelling facility to commuters, nagged by full of hassle travelling on Grand Trunk Road and other arteries leading to different cities from the Federal Capital.

No horns, no screeching and no lanes violations had been the hallmark of Islamabad-Lahore (M-2) and Islamabad-Peshawar (M-1) motorways as the specially raised Police force always stood guard to ensure smooth travelling and penalize the violators.

But, in recent years especially, the policing quality deteriorated with passenger buses, loader vans and privately driven vehicles most often violating speed limits, lane discipline and other violations resulting in lethal accidents like one happened recently in Salt Range claiming lives of around 13 passengers.

If we talk specifically, the Beats at Kala Shah Kaku to Sukheki and from Kallar Kahar to Chakri are the worst regions governed plagued with rampant violations by the passenger buses and mini trucks ferrying milk, animals and broiler chicken from Punjab to Islamabad and beyond.

They have adopted a common habit of continuously using the center lane, over speeding with most of buses running at around 120 and cars the cars, jeeps and other LTVs from the extreme right fast lane.

People have also complained of mini trucks slowly moving in the lanes designated for fast moving vehicles and the ruthless bus drivers blowing horns and flashing lights behind the cars plying in center lane at the specified speed limit of 120.

Although the motorway police has taken certain measures to streamline traffic on motorways, yet the unruly drivers find space for violations endangering theirs and others lives.

“Why strict action is not taken against the violators,” questioned Rashid Mahmood, a frequently traveler of motorways from Islamabad to Lahore and Multan. “I often see vehicles crossing me when I was driving at permissible speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour.”

He noticed that most of these buses show their route details from cities in Punjab to destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Sometimes, they run buses continuously in the center lanes, blowing power horns and lights on high beam irking forerunners. Crossing LTVs from the fastest lane is yet their another hazardous practice.”

Their abrupt lane changing, Rashid states takes aback LTV drivers, seeing a giant bus crossing them wrongly and forcing them to apply sudden brakes.

When a bus driver was questioned about this mindset, he had no valid reason except that it being his habit to run faster than others and reach the destination earlier than the competitors.

Although the violations tendency is rampant among the drivers of less known companies leading to Peshawar and other Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities, yet those driving buses of commonly deemed as responsible transport companies like Faisal Movers and Daewoo adopt the same course.

“There was a time when these bus drivers could never even think of lanes violation and over speeding,” said another commuter, Javed Chaudhry. “But in recent past, we have astonishingly seen motorway as free for many people.”

He also pointed out that many costly vehicle owners take it as their right to continuously drive in the crossing lane for kilometers without any reason. “May be it is for ridiculing the law or for satisfaction of ego for owning a costly vehicle.”

Chaudhry also complained of the vehicles ferrying poultry birds, milk and animals from Punjab to Islamabad and cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continuously using middle lane on too slow speed hindering the way of fast moving LTVs.

No doubt that the Motorway Police keeps busy in managing traffic at certain points through patrolling and installing speed limit cameras but these measures feel too short of nabbing the violators.

They have launched a “No More Violations” initiative for strict implementation of traffic rules and a recent appreciative measure of passenger buses movement in flocks led by Police vehicles to maintain speed especially in Salt Range.

“To avoid accidents, we have made the buses to travel through Kallar Kahar region in the form of a convoy,” said DIG (Motorway North Zone) Muhammad Yusuf Malik. “This strategy has been formulated to protect precious lives of passengers and staff of passenger buses.”

Moreover, he stated it has also been decided to issue time cards to buses traveling from Islamabad to Lahore at predetermined safe places on motorway and ensure its strict compliance especially in Salt Range area.
Motorway Police officials believe this effort would allay fears of accidents in Kallar Kahar hilly area as they also informed about functioning of PSV Information Management Center at Toll Plaza Islamabad Entrance Movie Point to compile data of facilities and passengers safety in PSV transport plying on M2.

The NHMP also organizes lectures and workshops for drivers and bus owners at bus terminals, distribute pamphlets and air programs at FM 95 radio channel about passengers safety.

Even acknowledging their efforts for better policing, there are still weak areas like insufficient equipment and deployment that make the commuters violate rules at certain points.

The commuters have suggested to reign in mini truck owners and drivers, issue time cards to passenger buses for the whole route instead of specific points, enhance number of speed cameras and also penalize violators as well as negligent officials.