KARACHI, Oct 24: Sindh Chief Secretary Mohammad Javed Ashraf Hussain on Wednesday presented a cheque for Rs25 million for the completion of the auditorium of Arts Council.

This was announced by the Arts Council in a statement on Wednesday.

It said the chief secretary handed over the cheque to the vice-president of the Arts Council, S.H. Hashmi, and Secretary Qudsia Akbar.

The statement said President General Pervez Musharraf had announced a donation of Rs50 million for the construction of the Arts Council’s auditorium. Half of this amount was from the federal government and half from the provincial government.

The architect, Mr Bilgrami, briefed the chief secretary on the construction details of the project. It was stated that the auditorium would be completed in 15 months.

Sindh Secretary for Culture Ashique Hussain Memon and Karachi DCO Shafiq-ur-Rehman Paracha were also present on the occasion.

Mr Hashmi thanked the Sindh government for providing sufficient grants for the Arts Council.—APP