RAWALPINDI: Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture Rana Mohammad Arshad announced this Monday that the government would reconstitute district-level provincial committees to censor stage dramas to prevent vulgarity in commercial theatres.

Speaking at a press conference at the Rawalpindi Art Council (RAC), Mr Arshad said the government had imposed bans on 12 theatre artists in Lahore, Gujranwala and Faisalabad, and would not allow vulgarity in the guise of stage dramas.

Many cinemas in Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and other cities, have been converted into theatres. The shows staged here are often of low standards and sometimes feature vulgarity.He said the shows staged at art councils follow guidelines issued by the government and avoid objectionable material.

He added that the government provided opportunities to artists to present well-written and socially relevant dramas for families, and that the provincial government had directed art councils to promote Sufi poetry and Punjabi culture through theatre, music and other art forms.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2014