Pak-China share strong cultural bonds: DG PNCA
Says Pak artists got exceptional response at Asian Festival in China
By Uzma Zafar

ISLAMABAD—"Pak-China have always shared strong cultural bonds and I hope they'll continue to grow further." These views were stated by DG PNCA; Naeem Tahir, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, here the other day. Moreover, he held, "I have had the good fortune of being the Director of 1st cultural troupe from Pakistan to China, in 1965. We spent 5 weeks touring the important cities and performing. I found it a great opportunity for learning and understanding the significance of cultural exchanges in building up people to people contact and strengthening political relations." Speaking on the South Asian Cultural Festival that Pak troupe had recently participated in, the DG spoke, "Our delegation had a wonderful experience. We got excellent response and it's a matter of great pride that Pakistan participated in the Asian Cultural Festival, recently held at China and got exceptional response. In fact, additional performances had to be given and many repeated on request." Talking of the Asian Cultural Ministers' Conference, he stated, "I was nominated to represent Pakistan in the Asian Cultural Ministers' Conference and we signed a joint statement known as the Fujon Statement which was signed by 23 countries and it's the first time that Pakistan was represented in the prestigious Asian Ministers' Conference."
When asked of the state of art and cultural promotion in our society, Naeem held, "I feel that there's a stronger political will in favour of promoting art and culture today than ever before. The need is recognized by the President and PM. However, it needs to be recognized with equal sense of importance in other relevant agencies." Moreover, he stated, "There is a lot of work to be done. A deadlock of 50 years is to be cleared. I feel that we need to work on fast track, almost on war basis, to catch up with other Asian countries and the world." About the National Art Gallery, he said, "We are hoping to have the National Art Gallery project completed by the middle of next year. Work is in progress on a very fast speed. It has been resumed after stopping for almost 10 years, since I've joined in."
When asked about PNCA's role in assisting budding artists, the DG explained that the organization did not deal with beginners and thus, had no role in the growth of accomplished artists but was involved in the projection and promotion of already established artists as for the beginner level, there were institutions imparting art education and serving the purpose through scholarships for the needy and various other ways. But for promotion through PNCA, he said, one had to have recommendation by some known establishment and a strong social standing in the field. About quake relief, he said that PNCA had been organizing various cultural shows in this regard