LAHORE - Civil Society representatives are planning to move court against the members of a Punjab government’s delegation who, they say, misled Pakistani nation on Unesco verdict on Orange Line Metro Train project.

“The Punjab government misled Unesco at the 41st World Heritage Committee meeting held in Krakow (Poland) on OLMT Project’s effects on World Heritage Site Shalimar Gardens,” the Civil Society representatives said in a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Wednesday.

“The (government) delegation, after returning the country, also misled the media about Unesco decisions on Shalimar Gardens and the Orange Line Metro Project. They gave their own interpretation of the decision,” they added.

The delegation to Unesco’s 41st session was led by Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad and other members, including Punjab Advocate General Shakilur Rehman Khan, Punjab Mass Transit Authority Managing Director Sibtain Fazal Halim, and Archaeology Department lawyer and OMLT Strategic Counsel Khurram Chughtai. In their presser, noted activist IA Rehman, Muhammad Tehsin of Pakistan Civil Society Forum, Mehmood Mirza advocate, Saima Khwaja, and Lahore Conservation Society’s Imrana Tiwana cited a letter of World Heritage Centre Director Mechtild Rossler which she wrote to human rights and environment activists in Pakistan. “The adopted decision might be seen as an endorsement for the Orange Line Metro Project,” read the letter. “The 41st session of the World Heritage Committee has decided to grant one more year to the State Party of Pakistan in complying with the requests made by the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee prior to making any decision to inscribe the Fort and Shalimar Gardens of Lahore World Heritage property on the List of World Heritage In Danger.”

It stated that “there is no such thing that we (Unesco) endorsed the state party”.

“Please note that the State Party was unable to invite the Reactive Monitoring mission requested by the 40th session of the Committee due to the pending case at the Supreme Court, and due to the fact that the requested visual impact study is still to be finalised,” the letter added.

It is to be mentioned that the Operational Guidelines paragraph 169 requires Reactive Monitoring mission in reference to properties to be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The 41st session of the Committee considered it appropriate to provide an additional year to invite the requested Reactive Monitoring mission and to complete the visual impact study. The adopted decision of the 40th session of the Committee "expressing its serious concern about the Orange Line development and requesting the State Party to prepare a visual impact study of the project to be presented to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before pursuing the works of the Orange Line Metro associated with the Shalimar Gardens" remain valid.

The letter also clarified the fact that “no work should be carried out within the section of the Shalimar Gardens until the Reactive Monitoring missions has been carried out and until the visual impact study has been submitted and reviewed by the Advisory Bodies”.

In her letter, Mechtild Rossler said: “The World Heritage Committee particularly stipulated that highest priority must be given to sustain the spirituality associated with the Shalimar Gardens, and its setting. The Committee requested the State Party to immediately undertake studies related to the setting of the Gardens, which should be taken into account when proposing an enlargement of the property's buffer zone.” Imrana Tiwana said, “The government is telling a white lie and interpreting the world heritage committee decision in its own way. I was there at the session. They misled the Unesco and misrepresent the facts here in Pakistan.” IA Rehman said they were not against the development model. “All we are saying is to acknowledge the basic problem that heritage should not be destroyed at the cost of development.”