Arts Council gets notice over holding dance event

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued notices to the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP), the District South deputy commissioner and others on a petition against the holding of an allegedly controversial dance event at the ACP Karachi.

Samina Rizwan and other women’s rights activists said in their petition that the event, titled ‘Dance Junction: Volume 2’, was held by the ACP in collaboration with Wahab Shah’s company on March 8, with the subtitle ‘Dance to Express Yourself’.

The petitioners said that various advertisements for collecting donations and calling volunteers for the Aurat March were made available on the ACP’s website and social media platforms. They claimed that highly objectionable writings on placards were displayed by women and girls on the event at public roads that was not only against Islamic injunctions but also in violation of the constitution’s provisions, which provides that all the laws be made in conformity with Islamic injunctions.

They said that under Article 2 of the constitution, Islam is the official religion of Pakistan, and according to Article 2-A, the objectives resolution is the substantive part of the constitution. They pointed out that some unscrupulous elements try to cross the limits of the constitution and Islamic injunctions under the guise of women’s rights and civil liberties to please the West for extraneous considerations.

They stressed that those elements attempt to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the country by hurting the feelings of a large number of Muslim citizens, particularly women and girls.

They highlighted that majority of the women and girls living in the country observe and follow Islamic injunctions, and the law of the land, so such an event can be seriously detrimental to Islamic injunctions and moral values that are required to be preserved under the constitution.

The petitioners said that all acts committed by the respondents against Islamic injunctions and in violation of the law can cause unrest, so they need to be stopped immediately. They said that the people who are responsible for holding and promoting such an activity should be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.

They also said they tried to approach the court as soon as they came to know about the holding of the event, but the matter could not be taken up for urgent hearing.

However, they added, the cause has survived, and the respondent would continue to hold such events if there is no check on such un-Islamic activities. An SHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi said that the concerns expressed by the petitioners, who are women and citizens of Pakistan, are serious in nature and of public importance.

The bench said that prima facie, the material that has been placed on record in the petition reflects the intention of the respondents that seems to be contrary to the provisions of the constitution.

The court said that it has the potential threat to create serious unrest among the large number of Muslim citizens of Pakistan, particularly women, who want to lead their lives in accordance with the Holy Quran, the Sunnah, the injunctions of Islam and the Constitution of Pakistan.

The bench issued pre-admission notices to the Sindh advocate general, the deputy attorney general, the ACP and others, telling them to file their comments on March 19. The court also directed the ACP Karachi’s president or general secretary and Wahab Shah to be in attendance on the next date of hearing.