THESE days, one hears about the arts councils that are functioning and doing well in the province of Sindh. The idea in its basic sense was espoused half a century back by the then Chief Minister of Sindh, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi. On June 25, 1976, Mr Jatoi, announced the setting up of the Sindh Arts Council in the near future, and instituted an annual Sindh government award for artists. He said that while speaking at the annual Shakir Ali Award presentation ceremony at the Atelier B M, Sindhi Muslim Housing Society in Karachi. The first award on the occasion was given to M Kohari, who subsequently became one of Pakistan’s renowned painters. The chief minister said the proposed Sindh Arts Council would be established in Karachi as ‘a truly representative body of artists’, and he’d be in close touch with the council to achieve that objective. Announcing the Sindh government award amidst loud cheers, Mr Jatoi told art enthusiasts that a substantial amount would be paid to the best painter [every year] in order to encourage talented creative individuals of the country. He lamented that artists did not enjoy the respect that they deserved. The chief minister pointed out that the current government was making all efforts at federal and provincial levels to give respect to, and encourage, the artist community. He said, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was also a keen admirer of the arts. It was complying with the prime minister’s directives that certain measures had been taken, he added.

Another cultural institution made the headlines on June 27 when it was reported that the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) had decided to reopen Liaquat Hall Library after renovation of the 110-year-old building at Frere Hall in which it’s housed by end of July. The facility, likely to be renamed Karachi Metropolitan Library, was to be made the central library, having control of all municipal libraries in the city. The corporation had received a donation of Rs250,000 from the Pakistan Banking Council for the purpose. A sum of Rs100,000 was also to be allocated in the next KMC budget for books. Recently, the KMC had started work on sorting useful books from the old stock of the library. There were 25,000 books in total. The KMC wanted to retain 18,000 of them for the central library. The remaining were to be given to the 13 other KMC libraries in the Sindh capital. The sorting of books was being carried out by students of the Library Science Department at the University of Karachi.

Books make one learn. But one also learns from the achievements of outstanding people. On June 25, Nawab Mohammad Dilawar Khan, Governor of Sindh, praised Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang for his dedicated services to the cause of Muslims of India, and urged citizens to emulate his life. In his presidential addressed at a meeting organised by the Bahadur Yar Jang Academy to observe the 32nd death anniversary of the scholar and freedom fighter, the governor underlined the need for letting the younger generation know about the qualities and virtues of Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026