Order to stop illegal construction near Mohatta Palace,

[Salman]

Order to stop illegal construction near Mohatta Palace,

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has stressed the need for stopping illegal construction in the city, especially in the vicinity of the Mohatta Palace Museum (MPM), and bringing the culprits to justice, says a handout issued by the Governor’s House.

Speaking to a delegation of MPM trustees who called on him at the Governor’s House on Thursday, he said that it must be ensured that the environment in the vicinity of the museum remained compatible with the museum.

He said that Fatima Jinnah had stayed at the Mohatta Palace for some time and also used it as her office and this fact should be highlighted at the museum.

He also stressed the need for enhancing the pace of work relating to organising cultural activities of the Mohatta Palace in a nearby park.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of work relating to setting up of the Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Gallery in the museum so that it could be inaugurated soon.

The governor also urged the trustees to regularly organise cultural events and activities that could help bridge the gap between urban and rural population and promote understanding between them, adding that such activities also provided income generation opportunities to people.

The MPM managing trustee informed the governor about on-going cultural activities as well as other issues.

He said that the museum had planned to organise various activities, including exhibitions and cultural shows, for underprivileged children.

Activities aimed at improving abilities of physically-challenged children were also being planned, he added.

The meeting was informed that the Sindh government had allocated Rs15 million for the Mohatta Palace Trust while Rs10 million had been generated by selling a programme catalogue.

Mumtaz-ur-Rehman, Hameed Akhund, Yasmin Lari, Nasreen Askari, Nazar Sheikh and others also attended the meeting