Music festival: Organisers decry withdrawal of NOC
Usman of Rafi Peer Theatre urges CM Shahbaz Sharif to exempt artistes from the NOC requirement
LAHORE:
Usman, Saadan and Tehmina Peerzada of the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, one of the organisers of the 13th International Mystic Music Festival slated to commence today (Saturday) assailed the government on Friday for retracting the event’s NOC.
Usman said the government had withdrawn the NOC a few hours after issuing it in the morning. He said the government had refused to guarantee security for the festival. Usman said the government should facilitate them rather than creating problems for them.
He said the event would go ahead as planned with or without the NOC. Usman urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to exempt artistes from the NOC requirement. He said the government should allow them to organise and execute events without having to obtain the certificate.
Saadan vowed to fight the regulation following the conclusion of the festival. He said he would take up the cause on behalf of all artistes. Concurring, Usman called the regulation a vestige of autocracy. They said there was no reason to secure the certificate as the Arts Council had been taken onboard regarding the festival. The event is being jointly organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
The event will start today (Saturday) at 7pm and has performances lined up by artistes from various countries including Pakistan, Iran and Syria.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2014.
Usman, Saadan and Tehmina Peerzada of the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, one of the organisers of the 13th International Mystic Music Festival slated to commence today (Saturday) assailed the government on Friday for retracting the event’s NOC.
Usman said the government had withdrawn the NOC a few hours after issuing it in the morning. He said the government had refused to guarantee security for the festival. Usman said the government should facilitate them rather than creating problems for them.
He said the event would go ahead as planned with or without the NOC. Usman urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to exempt artistes from the NOC requirement. He said the government should allow them to organise and execute events without having to obtain the certificate.
Saadan vowed to fight the regulation following the conclusion of the festival. He said he would take up the cause on behalf of all artistes. Concurring, Usman called the regulation a vestige of autocracy. They said there was no reason to secure the certificate as the Arts Council had been taken onboard regarding the festival. The event is being jointly organised by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
The event will start today (Saturday) at 7pm and has performances lined up by artistes from various countries including Pakistan, Iran and Syria.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2014.