ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Federal Caretaker Minister for National Heritage and Culture Syed Jamal Shah on Friday visited the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) and was briefed about various issues faced by the academy that require urgent attention of the government.
Shah, who is also a veteran actor and painter, engaged with the senior management of Napa and listened to their concerns. After his presentation, he visited the Academy and addressed the media. He emphasized the crucial role of culture and heritage in promoting unity in diversity.
Later, the Federal Minister for Culture addressed the media at the Karachi Press Club and expressed the commitment of the interim government to improve the economic situation. He appealed to the people not to lose hope.
Shah emphasized the importance of cultural diversity and claimed that it could inspire the youth to realize the beauty of unity in diversity. He also highlighted the initiatives of the ministry, including the launch of a new channel, Virsa, which specializes in dramas in Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto and other languages of the country.
He emphasized the crucial role of cinema and drama in educating the younger generation and shaping the values of the society. He also revealed plans to revitalize cultural heritage sites in Islamabad in order to provide a platform to artists to showcase their talent through performances and promote cultural promotion.
Expressing concern over the limited number of cinemas in Pakistan and deploring the high ticket prices, he said that Pakistan should have more than 4000 cinemas to adequately cater to the needs of the people of the country. He said that as long as the number of cinemas was not increased, no significant progress could be made in the film industry.
He called for tax relief on cinemas so that private groups could invest in building more cinemas.” Cinema is not just about commerce. It is a means of expression and a way of presenting a better image of society to the world.” He argued.
The federal minister, who also vowed to improve the operations and status of Pakistan’s national museums, said no country could progress without a strong cultural identity among its citizens.
No country can progress unless its people have a strong cultural identity that connects the individual to his surroundings, identity and homeland,” Shah said. He added that those who understand their cultural roots will make strong decisions and build good relations with other countries.
He said that the term of the caretaker government was short and he wanted to come up with some good initiatives so that the elected government could remain in power. Regarding the heritage aspect of his department, he said that after the 18th amendment, the heritage sites were under the control of the provinces.” He said, “Our department wants to work with the provinces to protect these sites.