Art councils urged to come under one umbrella

Islamabad : The nationwide art councils should collaborate and come under one umbrella, said Pakistan National Council of the Arts director general Dr Fouzia Saeed.

She said this on return from Gilgit-Baltistan, where she went on the invitation of GB Minister Tourism, Sports, Culture and Archaeology Nasir Ali Khan.

The PNCA chief met prominent cultural personalities, performing and visual artists and district management and discussed with them important issues of mutual interest, especially those in which the council could play a role.

She said the GB government was very proactive in promoting tourism and cultural activities in the Baltistan region.

"Minister Nasir Ali is enthusiastic in encouraging tourism and developing the cultural talent among youth in both Gilgit and Baltistan," she said.

The PNCA chief requested the district government and minister to provide the space for performing artist as there is none currently. A hall that was built earlier for the purpose is being used for other activities.

She conveyed the demand of the artists based in Baltistan to have that hall available for them.

Dr Fouzia said the current art councils should collaborate and come under one umbrella.

The issues related to training of the artists in Baltistan and their participation in Islamabad specifically at PNCA were also discussed.

The minister and district administration decided that the arts councils in Skardu will be taken under the wing of the local government. The municipal cooperation will formulate an overseeing body that will include all the arts councils.

The administrator will be the chair and the relevant government officers from the cultural and tourism department will be members. It will be open to all senior artists.

The city hall will be revived and opened up again for cultural activities. The arts councils and the new setup will have direct access for this auditorium for all kinds of activities including music, theatre and art exhibits.

A mega musical event will be planned in collaboration by PNCA and ministry of culture possibly at Deosai plains in August. This will feature major local artists from GB area. Senior and well established artists from the country will be invited to join hands and be a part of this celebrations.

Also, there was agreement on the training of junior artists in music, recording and theatre.

The minister appreciated the PNCA efforts for activating the office at Gilgit and started the recordings so quickly. He said there were many other things in which we could collaborate and invite other institutions to join in.