The Taliban government in Afghanistan is making strides to preserve the country's millenia-old heritage, including pre-Islamic relics. Their current efforts are a far cry from March 2001 when the same Taliban shocked the world by dynamiting the two giant Buddhas of Bamiyan. Among those being protected are some recently uncovered Buddhist statuettes in Ghazni. "It is valuable because it's related to old eras," says provincial information and culture head Hamidullah Nisar. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES