KARACHI: Legend Trust set up with Rs50m for intellectuals
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Dec 19: The Legend Trust was formally set up on Tuesday with seed money of Rs 50 million. The trust was announced last year by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad when he floated the idea of a trust to look after writers, artists, sportsmen and journalists who had earned name and fame for the country without bothering about their own material needs.
The governor who outrightly rejected the proposals made by representatives of the chambers to generate regular funds by imposing nominal contribution on the memberships of the chamber and other trade bodies and through utility bills announced that the Sindh government had transferred Rs50 million in the Trust fund and every year in the budget a large sum would be apportioned for the trust. He also appealed to the private sector to contribute generously to the trust.
He also dispelled the impression that inducting three officials on the board of trustees, would influence the board’s decisions in any way and pointed out that according to its bylaws almost all powers would be exercised transparently by the private trustees.
Referring to a suggestion of housing for those legends who did not have one, he said “The Legends Cooperative Society be formed and the trust could help them solve this problem.’’
He said all development projects being executed in Sindh are aimed at facilitating the people as the government wants to see the people culturally enlightened and intellectually tolerant. He hoped the trust would not disappoint the legends.
The trust, whose deed was submitted for registration comprises 11 members with the governor as its patron and The National Bank of Pakistan President Shaukat Tareen as its managing trustee. Out of 11 trustees, except three all others are from the private sector. The three official trustees are: Chief Secretary Fazal-ur-Rehman, Finance Secretary Malik Israr Ahmad, and Culture Secretary Abdul Quadir Mangi.
Earlier, all speakers appreciated the governor’s efforts for taking initiative for the trust which they said should have been set up long ago.
Senator and veteran intellectual Jamiluddin Aali termed the trust an important step in the right direction.
However, he did not agree with the officials nomination on its board as he felt their presence would erode the trust’s credibility. He recalled his experience of the Writers Guild when it awarded the Adamjee prize to Shaheedulla Qaiser from East Pakistan for his outstanding contribution to literature, the critics accused himof being a government official who was patronising the communists. Likewise, when novelist Abadullah Hussain was given an award, some one tried to misguide Nawab Kalabagh against him and when Shaikh Ayaz was given an award on his outstanding contribution to Sindh’s literature, two papers wrote that Shaikh Ayaz was purchased for the Rs 5000 award which was finally turned down by the poet. He suggested to include a clause in the trust deed that no foreign aid would be acceptable for the trust.
Culture Minister Rauf Siddiqui said the governments had no role in the formation of nations. On the contrary it was intellectuals, artists, writers and sportsmen who through their skills make a nation and raise their prestige in the comity of nations.
Veteran Journalist Mehmood Sham recalled the state of affairs in the media where most employees were on contract basis without medical and other benefits. He said though a senior journalist after reaching superannuation becomes an asset for the organisation but due to financial constraints is willing to work for low salaries to make ends meet.
He said the most difficult task was selection of the legends as those who were legends in the real sense did not count themselves in the category. “Equally hard is the task of catering for the education of their children and marriages of their daughters and this aspect needs the attention of the trust. He said this help should be extended in a manner that it does not hurt the ego of the legends and their families.
World Squash Champion Jahangir Khan highlighting the need of such a trust recalled how Hussain Shah, the only Pakistani Boxer to win a medal in the Olympics with potential to become a heavyweight boxing champion, was ignored until he was taken to London where he was given training and now was training youth in Japan.
Artistes Talat Hussain and Moin Akhtar also spoke briefly and lauded the setting up of the trust.
Representatives of the business community, Siraj Teli and Majyd Aziz assured full cooperation to the trust. They also made suggestions on how to generate regular funds.
Shaukat Tareen, Managing Trustee, welcoming the guests said the nation had a responsibility towards the legends. He said great nations become great only by recognising their great people.
He said the trust would look after four categories. They are writers, artistes, journalists and sportsmen. It would provide three types of assistance in the form of subsistence allowance, medical treatment and meeting educational expenditures of those legends who could not afford the educational expenses of their children. He called upon sportsmen, artistes and journalists to contribute in raising the funds today for their tomorrow by organising fund raising events and supplements.
