Decision 40 COM 7B.43

Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan) (C 171)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM7B.19, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Notes the efforts made by the State Party to address the conservation of the property and the steps taken to revise the conservation plan, including the revitalisation of the training institute, although no further details as to the organigram and timeline for its establishment have been provided;
4. Also notes that, to date, the State Party has not formally submitted a proposal for a minor boundary modification, which would include an enlarged buffer zone for the property as well as the adopted regulatory measures;
5. Expresses its serious concern about the development of the Orange Line Metro and requests 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 Shalamar Gardens;
6. Reminds the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, technical details, including Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA), for all proposed projects that may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property prior to their approval, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
7. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property at its earliest convenience, to examine the Orange Line Metro project and to discuss the same with the relevant Government authorities and to review the management and protection arrangements of the property;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017 an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017, with a view to considering whether there is an ascertained or potential danger to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.