Resolution passed: Devolution of culture ministry opposed

Senate body lauds culture ministry’s performance.

ISLAMABAD: The senate standing committee on Culture and Tourism passed a unanimous resolution on Monday opposing the devolution of the culture ministry and attached departments to the provinces.

Various ministries are being handed over to the provinces as decided in the 18th amendment, but the Senate Standing Committee, with Nilofar Bakhtiar as the Chair, opposed the move with regards to the culture ministry on Monday.

In its meeting at the Parliament House, the committee discussed the proposed devolution along with the Central Board of Film Censor on Devolution/Concurrent list. The participants said that the Ministry of Culture through its line departments had performed ‘excellently’ in promotion of indigenous culture. These include Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) and Lok Virsa.

The members of the committee said that the ministry had played a positive role in highlighting a soft image of Pakistan, within and outside of the country, projecting harmony and integration of different cultures of the area.

The members therefore unanimously recommended that the Implementation Commission on Devolution should be requested to consider the resolution favourably. A letter was then written to Senator Raza Rabbani to reconsider the decision and keep the ministry intact in the federal capital.

The Chairperson of the committee Nilofar Bakhtiar, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the committee had already dispatched letters to the Chairman of the Constitutional Reforms Committee Raza Rabbani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani for reconsideration of the decision.

Taking a strong position on the issue, she said, “Culture of any country reflects its identity, and this identity cannot be separated or divided.”

The committee also appreciated the South Asian Film Foundation’s venture to make a film on human trafficking in Pakistan and other counties of the region.

They stressed that the documentary should be strictly based on the original script which “should be examined by the culture ministry first.”

Moreover, the ministry was also directed to expedite efforts to hold South Asian Film Festival in Pakistan.

The committee was further informed by the Minister for Culture that the centre was working towards bringing back Makli, Shalimar Gardens and Lahore Fort along with other heritage sights back from the provincial control.

The committee also unanimously recommended that ‘Film Censor Board should continue its working in the centre and should not be devolved to provinces’. The gesture of granting Rs0.5 million rupees to the ailing actress and producer Shamim Ara, was also highly appreciated.

The meeting was attended by Senators Farah Aqil, Senator Gulshan Saeed, Senator Sabina Rauf, Senator Salahuddin Gogar and Senator Pervez Rashid. Federal Minister for Culture, Pir Aftab Hussain Shah Gillani, Secretary Culture, Moinul Islam Bukhari, Director General PNCA, Director Genera; Lok Virsa and other officers from the ministry attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2010.