No Plans to Close or Merge Cultural Institutions: PM

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that the government is not considering closing or merging national institutions of academic, literary, historical, and cultural importance.

A strategy will be adopted to make these institutions stronger, more effective, and more functional so that Pakistan’s civilized and cultural face is positively highlighted before the world and society remains safe from elements like extremism.

He said this during a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League (N) Senator and Leader of the Parliamentary Party in the Senate Irfan Siddiqui at the Prime Minister’s House.

In the meeting, Senator Irfan Siddiqui informed the Prime Minister that there is concern among writers, intellectuals, poets, and people associated with the arts across the country over the possible closure or merger of academic and literary institutions following the recommendations of the government’s Rightsizing Committee.

He recalled that during the reign of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, these institutions were strongly patronized, the positive effects of which were felt in academic and literary circles.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that societies that ignore science, literature, and the fine arts fall under the influence of a mechanistic mindset and lose human emotions and elegance.

He clarified that a high-level committee will soon be formed to improve the performance and governance of these institutions and align them with the requirements of the present era, which will formulate proposals to expand the mandate and scope of these institutions.

Senator Irfan Siddiqui thanked the Prime Minister for his clear and encouraging stance and said that this announcement is a welcome message not only for academic and literary circles but also for the entire nation.