There is no word yet on whether these recommendations are being considered seriously or at what stage process is at
ISLAMABAD: The rightsizing committee of the federal government has made recommendations regarding some major changes within the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, say sources. These recommendations could affect a wide range of institutions that work to promote art, culture, history, language and literature in the country.
Sources claim that most of the proposals revolve around a single-point agenda: cutting jobs, stripping institutions of government funding and forcing them to become financially self-sustaining. Institutions that fail to do so risk being either dissolved or merged with other entities, such as universities.
There is no word yet on whether these recommendations are being considered seriously or at what stage the process is at.
The proposals for the National Library of Pakistan are to ‘Raise aspiration and capability significantly. Aim to create a self-sustaining world-class institution’. In essence, this means: generate your own revenue and become world-class -- with no roadmap for how this is to be achieved.
Similarly, for the Department of `, the recommendation is to ‘Aim to create a self-sustaining world-class institution. Target a revenue of one billion rupees in two to three years as an initial marker’. It is not explained how a department responsible for preserving heritage can achieve such financial targets without any substantial government support.
Perhaps the most damaging recommendation is for the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD). Reportedly, it has been suggested that it be merged with the ‘Urdu department of any federal educational university or academic institution for better parentage and impact’ -- and that it should be wrapped up if there is ‘no interest’. In other words, if no university agrees to take over the NLPD, the department — which has worked for over 45 years on publishing dictionaries and glossaries to promote Urdu — could simply cease to exist.
The recommendations for other language and literary institutions are similarly troubling: For the Urdu Science Board, a merge ‘with NLPD (if NLPD is merged with a university)’ or for it to come to a close.
For the Urdu Dictionary Board: ‘Commercialise if possible; otherwise merge with NLPD and assign 3–4 capable staff to continue managing and improving the dictionary. Wind up the rest by Oct 2025’. This essentially means assigning just a handful of people to manage the national dictionary and abolishing all other positions.
Apparently, the recommendation for the Aiwan-e-Iqbal Complex is for it to be privtaised or to ‘outsource management, ending government involvement. Transfer real estate assets. Any space/asset dedicated to Iqbal can be rented by Oct 2025’.
For Lok Virsa, the directive is to ‘present a roadmap to generate Rs500 million in revenue over three years’, shifting its focus from preserving folk heritage to profit-making.
Other institutions face similar treatment:
Quaid-e-Azam Academy: ‘Merge with the Iqbal Academy and transfer to a higher education institution’.
NAPA (National Academy of Performing Arts): it is expected to ‘become a self-sustaining world-class institution within three years, and further increase revenue in line with the status of a premier national performing arts school’.
PNCA (Pakistan National Council of the Arts): ‘Develop a three-year roadmap focusing on quality, growth, self-sustainability, and significant revenue/reputation gains. Explore commercialization. Incentivize and cut costs’.
For the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), the recommendation is to ‘merge with NLPD. Retain only essential linguistic experts and qualified staff. Strengthen commercial functions. Estimated 30 per cent reduction in HR and budget post-merger’.
It is important to note that the PAL was founded in 1976 on the initiative of then-PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Despite limited resources, it has been performing commendable work. Although PAL has 130 sanctioned posts, only 60 people currently work, most of them support staff. There is neither an accountant nor an IT professional, and its regional offices are severely understaffed. Even so, PAL has been providing stipends of Rs13,000 each to over 1,000 writers across Pakistan who face financial hardship.
The PAL is an autonomous institution and merging it with NLPD — an attached department — would severely damage its literary contributions, including the publication and translation of dozens of books annually, as well as its research work.
The proposal to merge NLPD, an institution devoted to promoting Urdu, with a university could be the final blow. Most universities in Pakistan are already facing dire financial crises. Many are unable to pay salaries or pensions on time.
Placing the responsibility of language promotion on them could spell the end of institutions that have served the country’s cultural and linguistic landscape for decades.