Sindh Culture dept seals Khanabadosh Café

Move comes on the same day as the SHC orders maintaining 'status quo'

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Culture Department eventually sealed on Monday the space it had provided in 2015 for the Khanabadosh Writers' Café - a place for literary-cum-commercial activities under private management in the premises of the Sindh Museum, Hyderabad. Coincidentally, however, the Sindh High Court also ordered on Monday the department to maintain 'status quo' and restore the cafe's utility services which were severed last week. The department's officials, on their part, are interpreting the 'status quo' as the sealed condition.

The cafe, inaugurated in May, 2015, has been sporadically arranging literary activities including three annual editions of Ayaz Melo, a festival highlighting poetic genius of 20th century Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz. A small hall and a canteen-based cafe nestled in the idyllic Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Children Park in the museum's premises was rented out for 11 months on February 15, 2015, to Sindh University's Prof Salma Begum Laghari alias Amar Sindhu.

However, the conflict between the department and the private management kept simmering during the years that followed. The two parties to the agreement did not extend the tenancy as the latter kept seeking a memorandum of understanding with the former for providing the space gratis along with financial support.

S M Abbass Rizvi, director of the Sindh provincial museum Hyderabad, told The Express Tribune that the department served many notices to Sindhu to clear the dues and extend the agreement but she did not respond. A final legal notice was served to her on July 16 to vacate the place and clear Rs4.289 million in dues within seven days, he added.

According to the legal notice, the private management has to pay Rs1.269 million in rent, Rs29.15 million in electricity bills and repair works, and Rs265,000 for the water bills. But against the sum which totalled at over Rs44 million, the department was only paid Rs160,000 in four separate instalments in June, July and September 2015 and in November 2016.

Sindhu, meanwhile, claims that she has paid a larger amount in rent. "We were not provided for separate electricity and water meters. How can the department fix the amount of electricity and water bills itself?" she asked while talking to The Express Tribune.

She claimed that after taking possession of the café, she spent Rs2 million on its renovation but that amount has not been factored in the department's dues. "Few months after operating the place, I realised that I will not be able to meet the monthly expenditures as Rs100,000 was being paid in salaries to the staff. Therefore, I wrote to the department for signing the MoU."

Sindhu was also operating a restaurant for all and sundry though the management's stated priority was writers, poets and intellectuals as the regular visitors and customers. "... by virtue of the rent agreement only the premises of canteen was rented out to you but you in violation of the rent agreement extended the limits and occupied the children park," reads the legal notice. "... misused the premises and converted the cafe/canteen into marriage hall."

According to the notice, the rent agreement expired in January, 2016, and no extension was sought by Sindhu though she continued to occupy the place. Prof Arfana Mallah, president of Sindh University Teachers Association who is part of the cafe's management, said while talking to The Express Tribune that the department cannot rent out its spaces.

She claimed that they came to know about this fact only after taking possession of the place. "The culture department can only give its premises through an MoU."

She said that they have been demanding from the department to hand over the cafe's premises to them like it provided a facility to the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). "The department has also been funding Arts Council Khairpur, Arts Council Larkana and even the federal government's Pakistan Arts Council with millions of rupees," she said, adding that the cafe's management also wrote to the authorities for similar financial support. According to Mallah, Sindh Museum underwent renovation when senator Sassui Palijo was Sindh culture minister and it was decided then that a writers' cafe will be set up in its premises.

The cafe's matter was also taken up by the assembly's Public Accounts Committee a year ago but Mallah said the PAC's queries or observations were not conveyed to them for a response.

Meanwhile, director Rizvi said that the department has sealed the cafe and deployed police. He said the SHC's order about maintaining the status quo was given on Monday after they had sealed the premises.

The SHC has fixed hearing of the matter on August 1, summoning secretary, director general and Rizvi from the department. As many as 12 persons, who cited them as members of the cafe, filed the petition in the SHC. Sindhu and Mallah are not among the petitioners.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2019.