The former Chairman of Pakistan Academy of Letters Fakhar Zaman has repudiated the claim of the federal government that the cultural policy they have issued is the first cultural policy of Pakistan. He said that the first ever cultural policy was promulgated on August 31, 1995 during Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s Government and that he was responsible for preparing this cultural policy as the Chairman of National Council of History and Culture. The members of the culture committee included leumenaries like Begum Tahira Mazhar, Abdullah Malik, Hayat Ahmad Khan, Professor Masood, Dr. M.A Siddiqui, Abdullah Jamal Beni, Saleem Raz, Professor Aslam Syed, I.A. Rahman, Iftikhar Arif, Ahmad Saleem and others. This first ever cultural policy of Pakistan, whose architect was Fakhar Zaman included among other things the establishment of film city in Islamabad, setting up of National Drama Institute and National Art Gallery. There was a special emphasis on the development of Pakistan’s film sector. The present National Performing Art Academy in Karachi (NAPA) was also established in pursuance of 1995 cultural policy which remained intact till now. Zaman said that he is sure the federal minister of Information hardly knows the ABC of culture and the document must be a total confusion. He said that this was in keeping with the decency and ethics that the present government should have acknowledged the Benazir Bhutto’s Government’s cultural policy. Fakhar added that the cultural policy was presented by him in a UNESCO meeting and many countries who are UNESCO members have patterned their own cultural policies on the basis of PPP government’s 1995 cultural policy. Giving a short background, Zaman said that in 1972 Faiz Ahmad Faiz wanted to prepare a cultural policy but could write only one page when he had differences with the minister and he resigned. Zaman said when he took over as the Chairman of the Commission; it was his priority to give the first ever cultural policy to Pakistan to which he succeeded in 1995. Zaman ended his statement that the present government tried to hide that 1995 cultural policy document and he has the information that they have based their policy on 1995 cultural policy without acknowledging the actual architect who is no one other than Fakhar Zaman.
Published in Daily Times, June 1st 2018.
