Multan, city of saints, has its own centuries old history and culture. It has been a stopover as well as settlement of many Muslim and non-Muslim invaders that came in from central Asia, Arabian Peninsula and Afghanistan. It is in the center of Pakistan, being equidistant from capitals of all four provinces by road, rail and air links. From Multan one can easily approach any province of the country. Despite its strategic and geographic importance, though, there is no historical museum, or even a tourist information center worth the name anywhere in this city. The dilapidated boundary wall of the interior city, the centuries old Qila Kuhna at Qasim Bagh and other historical buildings in and around the city depict negligence and aesthetic apathy of the city fathers. To preserve the cultural and historical heritage of Multan in its original form, the city fathers, and now Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi too, need to make their utmost efforts to seek funds and technical assistance from UNESCO or the World Bank funds offered for protection of the World Heritage. Peshawar and Lahore have their own historical museums. Why can't Multan have one? -SABA GUL, Islamabad, via e-mail, March 27.