KARACHI: US Consul General Grace Shelton moderated a session on ‘Cultural Heritage and Preservation in Pakistan and South Asia’ at the eighth Karachi Literature Festival.
Panelists included Dr Matthew Cook of North Carolina Central University, Heritage Foundation’s Yasmeen Lari, US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) expert Dr Laura Tedesco, and renowned classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani.
Consul General Shelton noted that the AFCP was established at the request of the 106th Congress of the United States, and supports the conservation of sites, objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 120 countries around the world.
She also highlighted the United States’ involvement in helping to preserve nineteen AFCP sites in Pakistan, including the ancient city of Taxila; the Alamgiri Gate at the Lahore Fort, Manora Island’s Varun Dev Temple and the Makli tombs in Sindh.
