25 January 2004	Sunday	02 Zilhaj 1424

MULTAN, Jan 24: A troupe of acrobats and gymnasts belonging to Russia and Central Asian States and a local circus owner are at loggerheads as both the sides are accusing each other of breaching an agreement signed between them to perform in Pakistan for a period of six months.

Pak-China Circus owner Israr Sherazi had filed a law suit with a local civil court against some 10 foreign artists accusing them of not performing in the circus as per the agreement. When the court summoned the artists on Friday, they revealed their side of the story and alleged that the circus owner was not fulfilling the agreement under which he had brought them to Pakistan. At this, the court summoned both the parties for Monday (tomorrow).

Nine of the 10 troupe members are staying at a mediocre guesthouse in the local Khalilabad Colony while the 10th member, a female acrobat, is missing. They can speak only their own languages and , therefore, are facing problems in communicating with the court and the media.

Before the court on Friday, a Kyrgyz woman, who married a Pakistani and has been living in Multan for the last six years, volunteered her services as translator while Javed Iqbal is volunteering with the troupe as translator. Javed did his graduation in civil engineering from Russia but has so far failed to find a job in his country.

Talking to Dawn through their translator, the troupe members - two women, six men and a teenaged boy - said that Mr Sherazi had contacted them in Kyrgyizstan and painted a rosy picture about the wages for working in a Pakistani circus. Consequently, they along with 13 other acrobats and gymnasts landed in Pakistan on September 23 last year to perform in various cities for six months.

They said they had performed a total of 134 shows in various cities during their five-month stay in Pakistan. The circus owner had assured them in black and white that he would pay the troupe $40,000 for the whole trip while its members would also be paid reward for best performance after every show on the basis of first, second and third positions in dollars from 15 to 25. Furthermore, they would be given accommodation of a three-star hotel throughout their stay in Pakistan.

But, they alleged, the circus owner betrayed them as neither he paid the rewards nor he arranged proper accommodation for them. They said the owner often served them one meal a day and compelled them to stay in tents in totally inhuman conditions. They said they came to Multan to perform on Dec 29 last and remained in tents until Jan 14. However, the circus owner lodged them at the guesthouse on Jan 15 as they had refused to work with him. "He instituted a civil suit against us instead of honouring his agreement," one of the troupe member regretted.

They said that their passports were also in possession of the circus owner. Their translator Javed said that the troupe members had contacted their respective embassies in Pakistan to seek their help. He said three of the overall 23 member troupe of Russian and Central Asian States had left for their country while the troupe members staying at the guesthouse did not know about the whereabouts of the rest of 11 acrobats and gymnasts.