A new era of anthropology and political economy begins with the unearthing of valuable ancient statues during excavation work for the renovation of Lea Market, carried out by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has said that the statues have been moved to a secure location and will eventually be preserved in a museum.
The excavation has not only unearthed the statues but has also sparked the hope for the deciphering of the ancient Indus Valley scriptures. Besides, the discovery has strengthened the research work of archaeologists and anthropologists on the implications of the Indus Valley Civilization and the history of Karachi, which is claimed to be around 9,000 years old.
Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, a renowned anthropologist, has mentioned in his famous book “The Rock Art of Karachi” (2020), that Karachi district, which is topographically part of Sindh-Kohistan, is rich in rock art sites. He points out the rock paintings located in Maher Valley of Karachi, found in a rock shelter at Lahut Jhudo. Meanwhile, the new discovery of the ancient statues by the KMC provides another indication to scholars like Kalhoro to unearth further mysteries.
Masood Lohar, a climate anthropologist, also highlights the maritime history of the city with reference to Alexander the Great, whose admiral Nearchus sailed from the Indus Delta to the Persian Gulf in 325 AD, and had one of his ships sunk near Karachi. Archaeologists claim that place to be Manora Island, whereas Lohar argues it to be Charna Island. He also emphasizes the existence of Karachi during the Stone Age, in the context of prehistoric rock carving sites.
Again, the irony is, nobody knows about any of the kings, philosophers, polymaths or the works of the public figures of ancient Karachi and the Indus Valley, except for the Priest King from the Bronze Age city of Mohenjo-Daro or a ruler named Ibra of Meluhha, mentioned on a broken Akkadian cuneiform tablet in Mesopotamia, where Meluhha is thought to be the exonym for the Indus Valley. Ibra is mentioned as a rebel leader who fought against the Akkadian Emperor Naram-Sin of Akkad during 2250 BC. However, it is still confusing whether Ibra was the real name or a foreign spelling of that tribal leader as Indus Valley is yet to be interpreted.
Nonetheless, it is a burning desire of almost every history-maniac to see the scriptures of the Indus Valley be deciphered. It is a geography that had once witnessed one of the greatest civilizations ever established by the Sapiens.
Hopefully, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation will continue its drive, not only on the banks of the Lyari river, but also by the Malir river, which might lead to revolutionary developments like deciphering of the Indus Valley scriptures and transforming the entire course of history, political economy and above all, the Indus Valley.