Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani speaking at the 11th convocation of National College of Arts at Lahore on Saturday said that NCA was a distinguished and unique centre of creative learning. In these difficult times, it gave him greater pleasure to witness the emergence of a new generation of young women and men steeped in the finest traditions of enlightened learning who undoubtedly would do the country proud in the years and decades to come.
He said values of creativity and tolerance espoused and inculcated by this institution were values held dear to him, the democratic government and the late martyred leader Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The PM said he was proud to see a student body drawn from all the corners of Pakistan, from Fata to Faisalabad, from Lahore to Larkana, from Muzaffarabad to Multan, from the Northern Areas to Peshawar and from Quetta to Karachi pursuing their dream of an enlightened and moderate society.
Gilani said the college represented the finest expression of the values espoused by Pakistan People's Party, adding that they too have struggled and raised their voice against tyranny, dictatorship and oppression. Quaid-e-Awam Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto believed that political empowerment of people was not possible without the creation of environment that allowed the flowering of art and culture.
He instituted a comprehensive and strategic culture policy for the first time in the country's history, which led to the creation of bodies such as Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Lok Virsa, the Academy of Letters, and the National Book Foundation. Mohtarma Shaheed also used her terms in office to reclaim cultural space, liberalise the media, and offer renewed hope to the creative imperative in Pakistan.
Pakistan's present democratic government is also committed to supporting the development of arts in the country. He said NCA was one of the famous landmarks of Lahore. It defined the artistic identity of the city and the country and continued to produce artists, architects and other creative professionals of international repute.
Gillani said contemporary miniature movement emanating from the NCA had taken the international art world by storm placing Pakistan firmly on the artistic map of the world. Likewise, contemporary visual artists of the NCA had made a huge imprint and redefined the boundaries of their respective mediums.
Similarly, the Pakistani urban landscape was dotted with the finest examples of cutting edge modernist architecture with significant contribution of architects trained by the NCA. Designers associated with the NCA had dominated the industry, he added. The Prime Minister also spoke about the contribution of NCA for music, media professionals and cultural commentators. Talking about the recently established Film and Television Department had graduated its first batch of students who had already won a number of national and international awards.
The Prime Minister while giving away degrees to the successful students announced a grant of Rs 50 million for to the institution on the occasion. The Prime Minister said that co-operation would be sought from Italy in safeguarding the cultural heritage. He directed that cultural rich buildings should not be converted into plazas. Principal of the institution Naazish Attaullah led Gilani to the convocation.