SUKKUR: Sindh Minister for Culture, Tourism and Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah has said that extremism and bigotry can be defeated though construction of arts councils.

The minister said after inaugurating Sukkur Arts Council at Sukkur Cultural Complex congratulated the participants and said that it was his dream to build a cultural arts council on the pattern of Karachi Arts Council in Sukkur.

He said that several cultural complexes were under-construction in different cities whose work had been suspended due to issues of funds availability but now he would make efforts to complete the construction of the buildings soon.

He said that an arts council should be built at division level to promote all languages because whoever lived in Sindh was Sindhi. Ideology of extremism and bigotry could be defeated through the construction of arts councils, said the minister.

He said that Sindh’s progress was somehow connected with Sukkur and it would gladden him if the city was developed into a hub of arts.

He told the participants that according to experts’ opinions a city was buried beneath the present Sukkur like that of “Lakhian Jo Daro”. Location-wise no other city of Pakistan was so beautiful as twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri, said Mr Shah.

Earlier, Sukkur Arts Council president Mumtaz Bukhari informed the audience that the construction of the council was a dream of writer, poets, and literary figures of Sukkur, which had come true that day.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022