January 04, 2009	Sunday	Muharram 06, 1430

KARACHI, Jan 3: Senior faculty members of the National Academy of Performing Arts, who gathered on the Napa premises on Saturday to brief newsmen about their last play of the season, Khawabon kay musafir by renowned Urdu writer Intizar Hussain, warned the authorities that they would resist moves to expel them from the historical Hindu Gymkhana, being used purely for educational purposes.

Their warning came just a day after the Sindh High Court ordered the status quo on a letter of the Karachi Building Control Authority for the withdrawal of its permission to Napa to build a theatre in the declared heritage structure on a petition filed by a senior faculty member, challenging the KBCA’s letter.

“Not a single functionary in all the departments concerned came up with an argument to vacate this building,” said Rahat Kazmi, director of Napa’s Repertory Theatre Company, which is set to produce its sixth play, featuring senior television actress Ayesha Khan, with alumni and students of Napa.

“Actually these are forces of dictatorship, manoeuvring and using their political influence purely for personal gains to occupy this area. We are not yet convinced about what the KBCA actually wants to achieve by closing down the only institution of its kind in the country.”

He said the way the government acted against Napa and its activities had revived the bitter memories of the dictatorial rule, when the authorities took every possible measure that discouraged the fine arts and talented people.

“Art threatens dictatorship,” said Mr Kazmi, accompanied by senior Napa faculty members Arshad Mahmood, Nafees Ahmed and Anjum Ayaz. “People who proudly call themselves moderates and democrats have violated all values and traditions. We were with them during their testing times, but after assuming power, surprisingly, they emerged as our worst enemies.”

He sought support from the media and civil society to save Napa, adding that he feared that once the academy was closed down by the authorities, there would be no art education in Karachi mainly for the city’s middle and lower-middle classes.

Earlier, he announced the season’s sixth and last play of Napa’s Repertory Theatre Company that would be staged from January 11 to January 21 in the Arts Council auditorium. The play was written more than 50 years ago by Intizar Hussain.

“We managed to bring life to the city’s theatre, producing five different dramas with famous names,” said Mr Kazmi. “It’s all because of Napa. Once the academy is closed down for any reason, there will be no theatre and no such activity in the true spirit of art.”