KARACHI, Aug 8: The elected administration of the Arts Council has moved to close a book shop-cum-art gallery which has been running on the premises for the past 26 years.
Arts Council office-bearers told Dawn on Wednesday that a legal notice had been served upon the owner of the shop in which he had been asked to vacate the place by Aug 28.
“When this art shop came into operation, the Arts Council did not have an art gallery. But now the Arts Council has a commercial art gallery as well as a permanent art gallery where the works of old masters are on display. This art shop adversely affects the business of the Arts Council gallery so much so that leading artists no longer want to exhibit their works there,” they said.
The Arts Council officer-bearers recalled that action against the art shop had been initiated by the then president of the Arts Council, Mushtaq Gazdar. “The owner of the art shop insists that he had signed an agreement with the Arts Council which authorized him to run an art shop on the premises. The fact of the matter is that no such agreement was signed because the then governing body had allowed him to run the art shop by passing a resolution. If the agreement had been signed, there would have been no need to pass a resolution.”
The legal notice issued by the Arts Council administration says: “The Arts Council is a composite council for the promotion of arts and culture in Pakistan. It is clear, as indicated by the president of Pakistan, the Arts Council now intends to enhance its activities. Further space is thus required by our clients. Further construction has to be undertaken and such additional construction has to be used for our clients own purpose, requirement and bona fide use in accommodating and housing various additional facilities that are required to be provided by the Arts Council.
“The president of Pakistan, at his public meeting in the city on April 28 also desired, indicated and directed for the enhancement of such promotion and cultural activities in the Arts Council.
“You had defaulted on numerous occasions and legal notices have been sent to you...You are called upon to vacate the said premises within a period of 30 days hereof.”
Brandishing a copy of the agreement, the owner of the art shop, Rafaat M. Khan, said that the agreement expressly allowed him to run a book shop as well as an art shop. “Contrary to what the legal notice says, I have never defaulted on the payment of rent. When I rented the shop in 1976, I used to pay Rs4,200 as annual rent. Now I pay Rs12,000 yearly. I have kept all the receipts. I have increased the rent whenever the Arts Council has wanted me to. Under the agreement, I also receive 30 per cent commission on the sale of paintings.”
He observed that instead of improving the performance of the art galleries on the premises of the Arts Council, the elected administration wanted to close down the one running successfully.
