Khanabadosh Cafe barred from commercial use

Khanabadosh Writers Cafe, known for organising activities pertaining to art, literature and intellectual discourse in Hyderabad, has been barred from using Sindh Museum's park for commercial activities. The restriction was conveyed through a letter, written by Sindh Provincial Museum Department's Director Zulfiqar Ali Panwar, on Monday a day after a Facebook post by Proffessor Amar Sindhu advertised commercial bookings for Iftar and dinner events.

"It is categorically stated that the said premises were allowed to you strictly and exclusively for the purpose of facilitating artists, writers and literary figures to organize cultural and literary activities for promotion of arts and literature," he wrote. "The allocation was never intended, either expressly or impliedly, for commercial exploitation, private bookings or profit oriented events."

The cafe, managed by women rights activists Sindhu and her friend Prof Dr Arfana Mallah, was acquired from the culture department in 2015 on rent. It is located inside a part of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Children's Park in the Sindh museum. In the Sindhu posted video buffet tables could be seen surrounded by sofas while the park's grass was covered with the carpets. The same post also provided a name and contact number for commercial bookings.

In his letter, the Director underlined that the park is being offered for commercial bookings for 'iftar parties and dinner events' through a manager named Hubdar Ali. Panwar said the park is a public property for which the Sindh government has been bearing all utility expenses like electricity and water bills in addition to maintenance and cleanliness expenditures. "Your act of publicly offering the premises for commercial bookings, amounts to misuse of government property and violation of understanding under which the space was provided," he stated.

He reiterated that all those expenditures are a burden on the public exchequer. "The recent cleaning and restoration of the premises after your events were also undertaken by the staff of Sindh Museum at the government's cost."

Panwar warned that the department will be compelled to initiate action, including recovery of proceedings in accordance with applicable rules and regulations, if the cafe's management continued their such activities. He asked them to instantly stop advertising, booking or using the premises for the commercial purposes.