RAWALPINDI: Recently, my friend and I decided to visit the Pakistan Museum of Natural History in Islamabad in a quest to find to what extent the relics of the past were being preserved there. Soon after we entered into its premises, we were shocked to learn that there was no electricity. When we managed to switch our mobile phone’s light to observe the items displayed, dust on every item exposed the ineptness of the administration of the museum. When we asked for some guidance while seeing the displays, no one with substantial knowledge about the historical background of mummified mammals was available. As a last-ditch effort, I consulted with the staff at the reception for any booklet which could give explanations regarding the museum’s assets. A bleating voice responded, “Consider this visit enough, we are not here to provide any further assistance for you.”
I wish we could save these historical imprints for the future generations from such vicious hands, which are obliterating the few museums we have through their ineptness, incompetence and negligence.
Abdul Wadood Raja & Muhammad Bilal
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2015.
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