March 17, 2007	Saturday	Safar 27, 1428

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LAHORE March 16: A summary suggesting the bifurcation of the Punjab Culture and Information Department is lying with the Punjab chief secretary, Ministry of Culture sources told Dawn on Friday.

Sources said the proposal was first sent to Culture Secretary Taimur Azmat Usman who forwarded it to Chief Secretary Salman Siddique.

The summary reads that other three provinces have separate culture departments but Punjab has a joint information and culture department. It says the Culture Department has many sub-departments which need proper attention, so a cultural secretary should be appointed.

The proposed culture department will include: Punjab Arts Council, Punjab Institute of Language and Arts, Lahore Arts Council, Lahore Museum and Punjab Entertainment Company, the letter goes on.

Sources said Punjab Archaeology director general Oriya Maqbool Jan had been suggested culture secretary.

Sources said that a Punjab-based bureaucrat had suggested that the Archaeology Department had already been expanded with Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens and there was a possibility as well that 147 federal monuments might also be transferred to Punjab, so it should have a separate directorate general.

Jan has written a letter to the Planning, Information, Culture and Youth Affairs deputy secretary in which he has asked for expansion of the directorate general of the Archaeology Department.

The letter says that four vehicles should be provided to department and estimated cost is Rs2.1 million.

An area of 6,000 square feet to house the establishment of the Archaeology directorate general has also been demanded in the letter.

Six new posts have also been asked for the Punjab Archaeology Department.

When contacted, Jan said things had not finalised yet regarding his appointment as culture secretary.

He said he wanted to leave for Iran as the federal government was pressing him hard to join as executive director of the Economic Corporation Organisation (ECO) in Tehran.

He said that he had plans to leave for Iran in a week or so had been issued a diplomatic passport.

Sources told Dawn the Punjab government wanted to retain Jan as the government considered him a brilliant officer.

Taimur Azmat Usman said the proposed bifurcation of culture and information had yet to be finalised.