Govt asked to prepare inclusive cultural policy

PESHAWAR: Senior artistes, singers and writers on Thursday asked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to prepare a comprehensive cultural policy and set up a residential colony for the community.

The demand came at a ‘World Music Freedom Day’ event here. The Culture Journalists Forum (CJF) and Takhleeq Development Foundation (TDF) in collaboration with Directorate of Culture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, conducted the event.

The participants appealed to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for free medical treatment of senior TV artiste Naushaba’s ailing son on a priority basis. The Music Freedom Day was celebrated across KP and Fata during which local artistes and singers enthralled audience with their beautiful voices.

Senior and new singers performed on the occasion but lamented that successive provincial governments had ignored their contribution and genuine demands.However, they appreciated the incumbent KP government for taking concrete steps for the promotion and safeguarding artiste community.  Large of number of local performers and music lovers attended the event.

Director Culture, Abdul Basit, while addressing as chief guest at the function, said the issues of left-out deserving artistes would be addressed soon.“Those artistes and singers who were left out in the recent KP government monthly stipend scheme from Swat, Mardan, Peshawar, Lahore, Fata and elsewhere would be compensated in the due course of time. It was not government fault,” he clarified.

He said that KP government was working on drafting comprehensive cultural policy for the province while a summary of Rs500 million endowment fund for the welfare of artistes and singers had been sent to chief minister for approval.

He said that monthly stipend programme would be extended to next fiscal year.Senior TV actor Tariq Jamal said that artiste community fully supported KP government in launching projects which could help boost artistes moral to work for promotion and portraying soft image of the militancy-plagued province.