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Recently, the United Nations Agency for Education and Culture warned the Government of Pakistan that Taxila could be placed on the list of “World Heritage in Danger” or even lose its world heritage status if Pakistan does not begin to pay serious attention to protecting the site from ruin and neglect.

Farther north of the country, thousands of years of Buddhist history is at threat by what some experts consider to be a needless and expensive project: the Diamar-Bhasha dam.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most significant archeological sites in all of South Asia– and it is endangered. Professors at the Wilfred Laurier-University in Waterloo, Ontario, Dr Jason Neelis and Dr Ali Zaidi share their expert opinion with The on the conflict of developing a hydropower station at the cost of losing Pakistan’s ancient heritage.

“There are pressures that create conflicts between the value of preserving cultural heritage sites – or basically even the way of life of the people who inhabit these areas where the reservoir will be formed, which is resulting in a tremendous displacement– and the other needs for power, especially hydroelectricity, are more broadly needed to control water resources which Pakistan has in abundance in the most glaciated region outside of the polar ice caps.

The challenge then is to balance the longer term control of this valuable resource which is going to be even more valuable in the future with a preservation of the past and knowledge of the past as well,” said Dr Neelis.

Pakistan has real challenges that have to be met when it comes to energy production, but increasingly experts point to how with every passing year, projects like the Diamar-Bhasha dam incur diminishing returns due to the increasing practicality of solar and wind. He also pointed out a seldom discussed externality of what we call “tourism” or “development”, in remote communities.

fishing communities and their late parents, women of the Indus river delta’s ancient fishing community used to be independent and an essential part of the local fishing economy by weaving the unique nets specially designed to not catch small fish, late on through the de-shelling of shrimps, and even going out fishing on their own, but with the destruction of the mangroves, real estate development, and reduced river flow caused by upstream diversions and dams, have disrupted and fractured the social structures of these communities, forcing many women into traditional and restricted urban life.

This ongoing erosion of heritage—both tangible and cultural—is compounded by a broader lack of public awareness inside and outside Pakistan.

However, the best way to institutionalise an effortless evolution and continuation of heritage is to invest in self respect within communities, so that they know that their civilisational identity is not entirely borrowed from elsewhere, but also has indigenous roots.

Dr Neelis emphasises the following, “It varies from province to province, in terms of the legal structures and resources in place, to be able to carry out the protection of these sites.

These guys will be in trouble because they are missing the trends, and if you miss the trends and make the wrong investment, you’re in trouble.”If we are neglecting easily accessible places like Taxila, an hour from Islamabad, the seat of power, and with little industry and population within Taxila, and with ample resources, then how can we be sure that a remote dam would be slowed down or reconsidered for the protection of sites that even fewer people know about?

History is the best teacher, and if these ancient sites serve a lesson, it is this: some facts of life remain permanent over thousands of years, no matter how much the times, technologies, and governments change. The reached out to the Minister for Water Resources, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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