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| PPP workers disrupt Shanakht festival |
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Thursday, April 09, 2009
By Asadullah
Karachi: Armed persons stormed the Arts Council, ransacking the Shanakht Festival 2009, which had begun on Wednesday afternoon. Eyewitnesses claimed that the armed men opened fire and threatened to kill the organisers for their alleged ‘political blasphemy’ in the artistic realm.
It all started perfectly well for the second edition of the four-day festival organised by the Citizens Archives of Pakistan (CAP), but the sunset descended like doom, when armed men diehard workers of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), had an altercation with the organisers of the event over a painting exhibiting Gen. Ziaul Haq and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
According to organisers, armed men scaled the walls of the Arts Council and were highly enraged over a painting. ‘Initially they objected to the painting and we agreed to pull it down, however they resorted to firing,’ said Sanam Meher, one of the organisers. “We had to run for cover as they started ransacking the exhibition area and displaced paintings and the TV.”
Eyewitnesses confirmed the firing incident at the Arts Council, where the angry mob wanted to confront the artist of the controversial painting. With the gunshots, the premises also lost electricity and everybody was asked to leave the premises. Most people present left at their earliest, while some volunteers were stuck on the other side.
Inspector Imdad Ali Khwaja of the Arambagh Police denied any incident of firing. He said that the exhibition at the Arts Council displayed an objectionable painting of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “This enraged some visitors, who created a scene and took the painting away to the Chief Minister’s House,” he added.
Another distraught volunteer told The News by phone that the armed men surrounded the exhibition area, and before they could be engaged into any dialogue, started overturning the tables and smashed the TV screen. “We were told to leave or face the music. We had to run. Some of my fellow volunteers were trapped.”
Provincial Information Minister Shazia Marri, who visited the crime scene, deplored the incident, saying that emotions must be contained at all costs. She announced an inquiry into the matter. Speaking to journalists, she said that the government would like to see the festival continue.
Meanwhile, in a late-night statement, the Citizens Archives of Pakistan said: “One part of this very large festival was to invite contributions in any form from Pakistanis. One of the contributions has offended some persons. Thus we sincerely apologise and have removed it.
“Our intention was to celebrate a rich history and create harmony and peace. We hope that tomorrow, the city of Karachi will support the festival and will come together to celebrate our country, our history, and our identity.”
Imtiaz Ali adds: Taking exception to a portrait depicting the slain Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto resting in the lap of Gen Ziaul Haq, the PPP has decided to lodge an FIR against the artist and the organisers of Shanakht 2009.
Speaking at a press conference, PPP District Central General Secretary Sohail Abdi said that the display hurt their sentiments, and they would lodge the FIR against the organisers, the Citizens Archives of Pakistan (CAP). He further said that action would also be taken against the management of the Arts Council. The PPP leader said that the organisers and the artist displayed the work for ‘cheap popularity’.
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