ISLAMABAD- The activities in Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) have been stopped due to sit-ins of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) in Red Zone, as all roads leading towards the PNCA have been blocked by the city administration.
The government had announced 30-day activities in connection with 67th Independence Day and the PNCA had arranged several activities in this regard. However, after the arrival of protesters in Red Zone in particular and federal capital in general, the PNCA could not materialise its programmes. The only event that took place as per schedule in the Red Zone was parade of armed forces that also included an air show.
An official of the PNCA informed this scribe that information ministry ordered PNCA to arrange special events related to Independence Day during the month of August and PNCA administration arranged several events on daily basis. Keeping in view the instructions of the ministry, the PNCA had started making arrangements and had even paid advance money to different performers who participated in full rehearsals of events. He stated that PNCA only arranged a few events out of its list of programmes in the first week of August, he added.
He said PNCA arranged a few events and performers were ready to perform in different plays but most of the guests and invited people could not reach the PNCA auditorium due to hurdles erected on the roads and the PNCA administration cancelled the performance. He said that PNCA had generated good revenue from events related to Independent Day in past but PNCA did not generate income due to the sit-ins this year. He said since the protesters entered Red Zone PNCA employee's attendance has not been more than 30 per cent and these sit-ins disturbed the work of PNCA directly and indirectly.
Talking to The Nation, a security guard of PNCA informed that marchers of PTI and PAT spend daytime under the shades of PNCA parking and a good number of them also sleep in the parking lot. He said PNCA administration has not ordered him to stop the marchers from spending time in the surroundings of PNCA.
Well-placed sources informed that PNCA arranged singers for performance in Azadi Train but most of them left Azadi Train in Sukkur before reaching its destiny Quetta because the government could not treat them properly as well as lack of media coverage.