Earlier this week, the Punjab Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan dissolved the governing body of the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore. Recent reports suggest that the production companies will have to seek prior approval of their play scripts by the government.
The provincial information minister imposed a ban on “poor-quality” stage plays at the arts council and said that only “well-written and good” scripts would be allowed to perform at Lahore’s Alhamra Arts Council. He also added that the organisers would have to deposit Rs 10,000 as security fee ahead of the play.
After this news surfaced, it has been reported that all the plays that were scheduled to be performed at the arts council after January 1, 2019, have been shelved for the time being.
This move comes a few months after the culture minister had passed indecent and inappropriate remarks on film and theatre actors. The footage of the minister’s speech went viral and all this led to an uproar from people from all walks of life, resulting in an informal apology by the information minister.
