Islamabad: A meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution, chaired by Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, was held to assess the performance of the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture Division over the past two financial years. Key topics included budget allocations, employee details, and the challenges faced by the division.

According to a statement by Senate of Pakistan, the Secretary for National Heritage and Culture Division, Hassan Jami, provided insights into the division’s structure, which was established following the 18th Amendment and has since shifted between different ministries. The division comprises seven autonomous bodies, including the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage of Pakistan (Lok Virsa) and the Pakistan National Council of Arts.

During the session, the committee reviewed each department’s achievements and challenges. A significant discussion point was the performance of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, where the committee recommended an increase in stipends for deserving writers and initiatives to support young writers in Pakistan.

The Secretary highlighted that Pakistan has not added any sites to the World Heritage List in 27 years. Efforts are underway to include “Hiran Minar” and “Bhambore,” but a shortage of human resources poses a challenge.

Senator Taimur emphasized the poor condition of Quaid-e-Azam’s belongings, urging the ministry to hire skilled curators for museum preservation, given their national significance.

The committee expressed satisfaction with the division’s performance but stressed the need for self-sustainability and human resource capacity building in the National Heritage Division’s departments.

Attendees included Senators Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Poonjo Bheel, Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, and other senior officials.