Laws changed to make Arts Council more efficient

Tenure of elected body increased to two years from one year;

journalists making literary contributions to be given membership

The Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, has changed its laws, increasing the tenure of the elected body to two years from the present one year, besides paving the way for journalists who help boost cultural and literary activities to become its members.

A general meeting, held under the chairmanship of Karachi Commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan at the open air theatre of the Arts Council on Saturday evening, adopted several constitutional amendments and also made changes in the memorandum of association and articles of association. 

The amendments, carried out by a majority of the members, are aimed at improving the working of the Arts Council.

On the occasion, Ahmed Shah read out all the amendments, which were endorsed by 99 percent of the members present, according to an Arts Council press release. However, there were a few members who bitterly opposed the move and raised slogans against the changes.

According to these amendments:

--- Membership fee of members over 60 will be abolished.

--- The tenure of the elected body has been raised to two years from the present one year. However, every year there will be a general body meeting at which audits and accounts reports will be presented for being sanctioned by the general body. A number of members were of the view that the duration of the elected body be raised to three years, but the executive committee’s members were of the unanimous opinion that two years would be just fine.

--- It was also decided that journalists who gave an added impetus to cultural and literary activities would be awarded membership of the Arts Council.

--- The quorum of the Arts Council general meeting was raised from 200 to 300. The reason cited for this was the large increase in the membership of the Arts Council.

--- To give impetus to cultural and literary activities, it was decided to set up academies, libraries and cafeterias.

--- The membership of members who default on payment of their membership fees for two years in a row will be terminated. 

While accepting all these amendments, Commissioner Ejaz Ahmed said that the amendments were not meant to benefit any particular individual but to make the Arts Council an efficient and meaningful organisation. He called on the few dissenting members to examine the benefits that would accrue from these amendments.

Special prayers were also offered for the victims of the recent attacks in Nazimabad and Quetta.

Among those present on the occasion were Arts Council President Ejaz Farooqi, Vice-President Sahar Ansari, Joint Secretary Athar Waqar Azim, Treasurer Shehnaz Siddiqui, Qudsia Akbar, Talat Hussain, Munawwar Saied, Saadat Jeri, Sohail Ahmed, Dr Qaiser Sajjad, Haseena Moin,

Kashef Garami, Iqbal Latif, Rashid Alam, Dr Ayub Shaikh, Syed Asjad Bukhari and  others.