Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz urged the people to set aside some of their time for preserving national heritage as well as the history.
He was speaking as chief guest at the opening ceremony of the exhibition "Jewel in the Crown" at the Mohatta Palace Museum here on Saturday evening.
The exhibition is being held under the auspices of the Trustees of the Mohatta Palace Museum in collaboration with the directors of the Dawn Group of newspapers.
"Let us all resolve that we will take some time out to preserve our heritage, that we will take some time out to preserve our history. It's a heritage and history we are all proud of and our forefathers did a lot for us and we now have to carry this mantle forward," the Premier remarked. He described the event as a great exhibit and said that it was the best way to pay tributes to Karachi and its citizens.
"Let's all resolve to build a better Karachi, a better Pakistan and a better future for the coming generations," Shaukat Aziz said.
He recalled that some 10 months ago he had seen first glimpse of "Jewel in the Crown" at the Expo Centre and today saw the second and much more mature phase of this exhibition.
The Prime Minister pointed out that in Karachi where he had spent most of his youth, has now been converted into a bustling metropolis - full of life and energy. "We all need to do our part to preserve our heritage," he remarked further.
The Premier, referring to the "Jewel in the Crown", said that in this exhibition he saw the journey through history.
He said it was really a collage of such rich history which tells us about our heritage and about what sacrifices our forefathers made to get us to where we are today.
"It tells us about a journey to achieve an objective which our forefathers set - a journey to achieve Pakistan."
"Here, almost six decades later, we are in Karachi celebrating a major event," Shaukat Aziz said.
On behalf of the federal government, he promised a sum of Rs i0 million for the restoration of any site - Mohatta Palace or any other.
The Prime Minister also appreciated the role of the organisers of the exhibition. He particularly praised efforts that were put in by Hameed Haroon, managing trustee of the Mohatta Palace Museum.
Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the exhibition and evinced keen interest in the exhibits. Hameed Haroon briefed the premier about salient features of the exhibition as well as the significance of the items put there on display.
In his address, Hameed Haroon appealed to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz as well as Sindh Governor and Chief Minister to help in the national task of conservation of cultural heritage and put the country back on the cultural map.
He also informed the audience that the present event was not the full exhibition. It was some 30 percent of the exhibition. Hameed Haroon announced that the main exhibition will open after Ramazan.
An announcement was made on behalf of the Sindh Chief Minister for an annual grant of half-a-million rupees for the Mohatta Palace Museum. Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, who is also chairman of the board of trustee of Mohatta Palace Museum Karachi, presented the welcome address.
He lauded the efforts of Hameed Haroon and others in holding this event.