MIRPUR: (Parliament Times) A spokesman of AJK department of tourism and archaeology has termed the news appeared in a section of press on Archaeology Conference in Mirpur as baseless, unfounded and based on malafide intentions.
The spokesman clarified here on Sunday that it was the first conference of its kind held in Mirpur in which archaeology experts from within the country and abroad participated. He stated that ads were given to the newspapers of AJK as per rules. “The management committee, under the supervision of technical committee and commissioner Mirpur, in view of better security and parking facilities, selected Regency Hotel after proper process of tenders. Regency hotel’s rates were also comparatively low than other hotels as per tenders”, he explained.
“It was done in view of the nature and sensitivity of the conference. But just two days before the holding of mega event, the contractor refused to hold the arrangements in Regency hotel. In view of the pressing time the management had only two options i.e. either put off the conference or press the contractor to arrange for another standard hotel and conference hall. The contractor instead started blackmailing the management committee. As such the management of Archaeology department had no option other than holding the arrangements on war footing for the conference at its own. It was due to the extraordinary efforts of the management committee that the conference was kicked off well and in time” clarified the spokesman.
It may be mentioned that on Archaeology it was the first conference of its kind in AJK in which PhD scholars from Pakistan and abroad participated and presented their papers, said the spokesman.
