RAWALPINDI, Feb 20: Security situation in the NWFP has forced the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to abandon its project for the mapping of cultural assets in the province.

The financial obligations require the project to be completed within the stipulated period and, therefore, Unesco is learnt to have decided to move the project to Punjab.

The organisation is currently in the process of detailing experts who will work closely with the UN agency and the Punjab government on a programme for qualitative and quantitative data collection and a related GIS database for mapping the cultural assets of the province.

The Norwegian-funded project was to be carried out in four districts of the NWFP — Chitral, Mansehra, Mardan and Peshawar. Initially, the project was planned to also cover Bannu, Charsadda and Swat.