OLMT poses permanent threat to Shalamar, heritage sites: ICOMOS

International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in its draft decision said that Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) poses an irreversible and permanent threat to Shalamar and Fort World Heritage Sites, which may be taken off the World Heritage register permanently if the project goes ahead as planned.This was revealed by Vice President ICOMOS Pakistan, Fauzia Qureshi along with Nadeem Umar, Director Human Rights Watch Pakistan Saroop Ijaz, Dr Ijaz Anwar and Maryam Hussain on Friday.
The ICOMOS Committee requests Government of Pakistan to immediately stop construction work on the OLMT where it approaches Shalamar Gardens. This decision will be finalized through a vote of member states in the upcoming World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in July 2017.The WHC has released its Draft Decision on Shalamar Gardens and the Orange Metro Line under construction inside the 61m protective buffer zone of the property.
The Committee expresses utmost concern that the Supreme Court will likely issue a decision on the Orange Line Metro Project before the requested Reactive Mission has been given a chance to visit the property and requests the Pakistan government to issue the necessary visas.Fauzia said that it is clear from the decision of the world's highest authority on heritage protection that Shalamar and other heritage sites will be irreversibly damaged if this project continues as planned.
The expected delisting of Shalamar will jeopardise future financing from UNESCO, the World Bank, IMF and seriously compromise future heritage tourism revenues to the tune of billions of dollars annually.ICOMOS Pakistan and the country's civil society strongly urged the Pakistan government to recognise its responsibility to the people and heritage of Pakistan and modify the Orange Line project to ensure heritage protection. It urged the government to honour the country's international commitments to the UN.
ICOMOS Pakistan contends that no government has the mandate or right to deprive future generations of their fundamental right to their heritage and history.The ICOMOS committee requests the government to identify an alternative location for the Orange Line. It also deeply regrets that the Reactive Monitoring Mission was not given visas by the Pakistan government as requested by the World Heritage Committee.
It also expresses utmost concern that the Department of Archaeology Punjab issued a non objection certificate for the Orange Line. The Pakistan government has not complied with the requests made by the Committee, nor proposed any clear way forward.The Committee considers the fact that construction work undertaken and planned for the Orange Metro Line represents a threat to the OUV of the property. No exhaustive impact assessment was undertaken for the Orange Line Project or Visual Impact Study as requested by the World Heritage Committee.
The Committee recommended that Government of Pakistan should carry out a comprehensive Heritage Impact Assessment in line with WHC/ICOMOS guidelines including a Visual Impact Study to inform the search for alternative locations.