ABSTRACT
The dawn of 14 August 1947 witnessed the birth of a new nation, comprising of Muslim-dominated lands of the Indian Sub-continent. Defined through its Constitution as the ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ the national ideology of this new state is officially bound to be framed around what reflects Islamic practices and Muslim cultures. However, any attempt to achieve a unified front across the border on the grounds of religious as well as socio-cultural values has remained a far-fetched desire. Areas today situated within the boundaries of Pakistan have a diverse range of ethnicities, socio-cultural traditions and varying religious practices. These variations are often based on deep-rooted historic influences, having continued as local or indigenous customs unique to the different regions of Pakistan. In this vastly diversified mosaic of cultural and historic traditions, developing a unified vision reflective of an identity unanimously acceptable by the entire nation is practically impossible. After struggling for decades to achieve this unattainable goal realization is slowly dawning, and at present, the political forces are starting to give recognition to sub-regional ethnicities having a dominant presence. What complicates the task of defining cultural heritage even further is the existence of strong influences coming from religious practices that have historically dominated the region for many centuries (Buddhism, Hinduism – particularly the rich Gandhara culture), leaving behind a legacy of built heritage the recognition of which simply cannot be ignored when it comes to identifying historic sites of national significance. In this paradox of what should be acknowledged, and what would be politically incorrect to be given its due recognition, the task of policy makers and of its implementers has been very challenging.
