MULTAN, Oct 1: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool inaugurated Multan College of Arts here on Friday hoping that the institution would play a pivotal role not only in promoting creative activities but also conserving the indigenous art forms as well.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony organized at the Multan Arts Council hall, the governor opined that art and culture enjoyed premier position in Islam. We had inherited a great cultural heritage from the history of Islam.

He said now it was the duty of the present generation (of Muslims) to further enrich the cultural and artistic heritage (of their ancestors). He said the (education of) art enabled the people to view society and other things around them with different perspective.

The governor said the arts subjects were the essential ingredients for economic growth and accomplishment of society. He lauded the efforts of management's of the National College of Arts and Bahauddin Zakariya University to materialize his idea of an art college in southern Punjab.

The present government, he claimed, had allocated unprecedented development funds for the uplift of Multan and other areas of southern Punjab. He also welcomed introduction of several new disciplines at the BZU, including mechanical, computer, textile, architectural and agricultural engineering, M Phil in sociology and psychology, MSc in library and information sciences, besides setting up of the institute of banking and finance.

BZU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Karamat Ali, NCA principal Sajida Vandal and Multan District Nazim Riaz Hussain Qureshi were also present on the occasion. The MCA will be a constituent college of the Zakariya University. At present, it is working in a rented building in Gulgasht Colony without having any regular faculty.

However, some NCA teachers had conducted workshops there which, according to the MCA students, were all about orientation of various art forms. It may be mentioned that in the BZU jurisdiction only the Government College for Women, Kutchery Chowk, Multan, is providing the education of fine arts at the inter and graduation level.

Academicians underlined the need to introduce fine arts as a subject in other colleges of the area as well if the authorities wanted MCA to run successfully and distinctively.

The college will face difficulties to get enrolled the required number of students having been taught fine arts prior to get admission at MCA, they added while highlighting the MCA's over-dependence at only one institute.

They also expressed their surprise over the announcement that the Zakariya University was introducing M Phil in the subjects of sociology and psychology as it did not have regular and qualified faculty to impart education even at the post-graduate level.

BZU VC Dr Karamat announced that the construction of the MCA building on the BZU campus would soon be started and it would cost Rs38 million. The MCA has for the first time recently announced admissions in Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Design.

The governor also saw exhibition of the work of current MCA interns, who were taught by the NCA teachers in various workshops held time to time during the last one year.