January 25, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 05, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: Controversies are nothing new to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) but the one raging there now smells foul.

Bogged down in politics, internal differences and personality cult, the PNCA — the oldest institute set up to preserve and promote country’s cultural heritage — seems to have never reached the stage from where it could really take off.

It is alleged that cases of financial and administrative impropriety are behind the present crisis and the controversial transfer of culture secretary Jalil Abbas who was investigating the allegations against the PNCA director-general.

Sources told Dawn that serious differences had emerged between the secretary and the PNCA Director-General, Naeem Tahir, over the lack of transparency in financial and administrative matters of the council.

The audit department has pointed out irregular appointments of consultants in the council in violation of the guidelines of the Cabinet Division.

According to the audit in June last year, British national Claire Pamment was appointed consultant on a monthly consolidated emoluments of Rs80,000 “without proper justification”.

The audit department has also revealed two more “irregular” appointments — Taslim Akhtar Aysha and Gulzar Afaqi — at Rs25,000 per month each.

“The action of the [PNCA] management is also against the provision of para-10 of General Financial Rules Vol-I. Thus the spirit of higher standard of financial propriety has been defected”, says the audit report, describing the action a lavish expenditure.

The audit report revealed that the management made a payment of Rs2.2 million to Diplex Vision, Lahore, for holding WAFA Light Laser and Sound Show at Rohtas Fort on March 8, 2006, without inviting open tenders. An advance payment of Rs1.25 million was made without the approval of the Finance Division.

As per the quotation, the firm offered the bid for Rs2 million, but Rs200,000 was paid to Diplex in excess of the agreed amount vide voucher No 203 dated May 15, 2006. “Thus the firm was offered undue benefit,” the official document said.

Audit has also revealed that the Ministry of Culture released Rs46.5 million in addition on June 22 last year for the restructuring of the PNCA with a condition that the council would submit to the Ministry a statement of accounts for the year 2005-06 along with a report of activities during the year.

However, despite a lapse of more than six months, the requisite report and statement of accounts have not yet been submitted to the ministry.

However, when contacted, the PNCA director-general said the audit was still in process and would be completed within the next five days.

“PNCA is an autonomous organisation by an the act of parliament and I have the powers to make appointments. There is nothing irregular in these appointments,” he maintained.

He said he had appointed Ms Claire because she was fit for the job and well-qualified.

He said the audit department had detected various (financial) problems in almost all departments and it was nothing unusual in the case of PNCA.

Sources told Dawn that the secretary, culture, was not happy with the state of affairs in the council specially the recent alleged drive of self-promotion by Mr Tahir on various occasions.

Mr Abbas was also not happy with the appointment of Ms Claire, who, according to sources, cannot write or read Urdu or any regional language.

These sources said two posts of assistant had been created to provide translators to Ms Claire.

Sources said the secretary was of the view that Ms Claire could not benefit the national language and that she should be replaced with a local talent.

Minister for Culture, Ghazi Gulab Jamal and the secretary had also received a large number of e-mails as a protest from theatre groups who had alleged that a number of consultants appointed in the PNCA were friends or relatives of the DG.

They said Mr Tahir was also allegedly misusing his powers and had given contracts to his son Ali Tahir for directing and acting in plays which are performed for foreign delegations at the residence of the president and prime minister.

But Mr Tahir said his son Ali Tahir was a budding talent and wanted to perform and direct. He said he had nothing to do with the transfer of the secretary culture. “In Pakistan, those people who did not do anything always complained about those who worked”, he remarked.