French government has awarded its prestigious Order of Arts and Letters to two Pakistani academicians in recognition of their services.

They are Former Director Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf Khan and Former Director General Department of Archaeology and Museums Dr. Fazal Dad Kakar.

Both the recipients have graduated from the prestigious French University of La Sorbonne in Paris where they got a PhD. 

A ceremony to this effect was held in Islamabad which was also attended by Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood. 

Ambassador of France Dr. Marc Baréty reminded the importance of the French cooperation in the field of archeology, in particular with the discovery or Mehrgarh site by Jean-François Jarrige in 1974 and the continuation.

He signaled the 60th anniversary of the Archeological Mission of Indus Valley that will take place on 28th of this month on the site of Mohenjo Daro and thanked the authorities of the Sindh for their continuous support.

The Ambassador apprised the audience of the importance of the Gandhara civilisation and the extraordinary heritage present today with all the Buddhist temples.