“CULTURE is the passion for sweetness and light, and (what is more) the passion for making them prevail,” wrote Mathew Arnold (1822-1888), the British critic and poet. But it seems that those at the helm of affairs believe more in what Hermann Goering (1893-1946) said than what Mathew Arnold believed. Goering is quoted as saying: “When I hear anyone talk of Culture, I reach for my revolver.” Goering was, just to remind you, a Nazi leader convicted of war crimes.

I apologise if I sound harsh, but the fact is some higher-ups have reached for their revolver and are aiming at Pakistan’s culture and literature: the government’s rightsizing committee has suggested that most of the literary, academic and cultural bodies, working under the administrative control of National Heritage and Culture Division, be either closed down for good or merged with each other. It is also suggested that some of them may be handed over to some federal university.

As evident from the draft minutes of the rightsizing committee’s proceedings, shared with different ministries, some of the oldest and most prestigious cultural, literary and academic organisations of the country would be mercilessly slaughtered. Though the suggestions are yet to be approved by the cabinet, it seems that most of the organisations striving to preserve and promote country’s literary, cultural, historical and academic heritage would be either consigned to oblivion or strangled.

For instance, the committee has suggested that the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD), Islamabad, be merged with the Urdu department of any federal university or academic institution. And if no interest is shown by any university or academic establishment, it would be, according to the minutes, closed down. The committee has conveniently ignored the fact that the government universities are already in tatters and are battling for breath. Also, no department of a university can handle the task and workload of the NLPD.

Let us remind those deciding on such sensitive issues without any regard for consequences that the NLPD, originally named National Language Authority (NLA), was established in 1979 and was entrusted with preparing Urdu for adaption as Pakistan’s official language, as required under the Article 251 of Pakistan’s 1973 constitution. It simply means the bureaucracy has no regards whatsoever for a body created under the dictates of Pakistan’s constitution.

Another literary organisation working for the promotion of Pakistani languages and literatures is the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL). Established in 1976, the PAL does not only arrange symposia and seminars on literary, linguistic and cultural issues but also publishes books and magazines, not to mention the annual awards given to the writers of different Pakistani languages, including the Kamal-i-Fan Award or Lifetime Achievement Award, often dubbed Pakistan’s Noble Prize for Literature. It is suggested by the committee that the PAL be merged with the NLPD and, interestingly, the NLPD is to be handed over to a university or abolished.

In other words, the PAL is to be given to another body whose future itself hangs in the balance, wow! Great wisdom! It seems that the rightsizing committee either does not understand the mandates and workings of these bodies or was in too much of a hurry to exercise the culling of these learnt bodies.

Other organisations either to be folded or merged or reduced to a barest minimum include: Urdu Science Board (USB), Urdu Dictionary Board (UDB), Quaid-i-Azam Academy and Iqbal Academy. Some other literary and cultural organisations, such as, the Department of Archaeology and Museums, are asked to generate revenue and become ‘self-sustaining’.

One of the excuses for closing down these bodies is paucity of funds. But these organisations do not demand astronomical funds and their budgets, if put together, hardly account for a couple of billion rupees, a teeny-weeny part of the total layout of the federal budget.

After being rendered ineffective, as planned, it will be much easier for the bureaucracy to blame these organisations of lethargy and non-productivity. In fact, it is a strategy being pursued by the bureaucracy for quite long and these bodies are denied funds, proper staff and any authority to take and implement decisions. Neither are new appointments allowed to fill the vacancies once the senior staff and officers retire, nor can they take any initiative without written permission from the bureaucracy. Some of these organisations, especially the PAL, NLPD, USB and UDB, have already been rendered crippled as a result of the slow poison given to them by the bureaucracy.

One hopes that sense prevails — and so do sweetness and light, in the words of Mathew Arnold. These organisations need reorganising and restructuring, not the callous treatment planned by the rightsizing committee.

drraufparekh@yahoo.com

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2025