Both the federal and the provincial governments will leave no stone unturned for the welfare of the artists as well as for the promotion of the art and culture in the province, Minister for Information Pervaiz Rasheed said on Saturday.
He was the chief guest at the Punjab Awards for Singing 2013 at Punjab Institute of Language, Arts and Culture (PILAC).
PILAC announced a Pride of the Punjab award and also distributed cash prizes during the ceremony.
Rasheed said the announcement of “Pride of Punjab” award was a positive step, while the cash prizes needed to be enhanced.
Rasheed announced Rs 0.1million cash as a gift for renowned singer Shaukat Ali.
Ali said it was a great honour for him that the Punjab government had lauded his work. “I’ve received hundreds of awards from across the globe, but the one given by the Punjab government is very close to my heart as my own people have acknowledged my art,” he added.
He lauded the singing ability of Ali saying he was the unique voice representing Punjab not only within the country but also abroad. He said such singers were the pride of the country, spreading the soft image of Pakistan across the globe.
He also expressed the government’s resolve to promote cultural activities and support artists in this regard.
The programme was hosted by PILAC Director General Khalid Mehmood Qazi and Director Dr Sughra Sadaf.
A large number of artists from film and television were present at the occasion, including Sara Raza Khan, Shabnam Majeed, Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Sohail Warraich, Musician Zulfiqar Ali, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Shujaat Hashmi, Mohsin Shaukat, Altaf Hassan Qureshi, Muneeza Hashmi, Syed Noor and Azra Jahan amongst others.
The artists were all praise for the government and the steps it had taken for the promotion of arts and culture.
The guests reiterated that artists needed appreciation more than money or any other thing.
“Such steps by the government boost the artists to perform better and promote the country’s image,” an artist from the audience said.
