Muhammad Zahid Rifat
CIVIL Awards of Pakistan were instituted in March 1957 following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent and sovereign Republic on March 23, 1956. Civil Awards include Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Pakistan, Sitara-e-Shujaat, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and President’s Pride of Performance Award among others. And, National College of Arts (NCA) of Lahore, formerly Mayo School of Arts, is the oldest art education school in Pakistan and the second oldest in South Asia and has always been regarded as a prestigious art education institution. As such every young girl and boy over the years have been seeking admission into NCA for adopting art, sculpture and architecture related careers.
Over the years, the NCA has seen many good moments and events and also some ugly, condemnable and deplorable incidents from time to time. Elderly persons like this scribe may be remembering the story, some glimpses at least if not fully, which this scribe is going to narrate here. Names of the civil awards prospective recipients are announced by the President of Pakistan on the auspices occasion of the Independence Day every year on August 14 and these are conferred on the recipients by the President in Islamabad on Pakistan Day on March 23 next year and the Provincial Governors at the Provincial Headquarters according to the domiciles of the awardees.
The President on the Independence Day 2020 has announced conferment of Civil Awards on 184 Pakistanis and foreigners for their services and excellence in respective fields. The list of Nishan-i-Imtiaz recipients included names of Sadequain Naqvi, Prof Shakir Ali and Zahoorul Akhlaque among others. Name of Zahoorul Akhlaque has raised many eye-brows among the artists community members and knowledgeable people who are aware about the ugly sex scandal which occurred in August/September 1976 in the National College of Arts Lahore involving some art teachers including him. This sex scandal had hit headlines in English and Urdu dailies and this scribe had also reported it for couple of Karachi Urdu weeklies and bitter memories continue to echo in his mind from time to time. The ugly sex scandal was also brought to the notice of the then Chairman Board of Governors Faiz Ahmad Faiz who did not interfere in it saying it’s a courts matter. Angry protesting students had put up posters in the NCA and outside demanding removal of Mr Faiz. Ghazala Sana did not pursue the case following her marriage, according to the sex scandal details which this scribe got from Shehbaz Khan to refresh his own memories.
This is not character assassination but mere statement of bitter facts of the ugly sex scandal. Horrifying details though available have been avoided for the sake of decency. Multi-billion dollars question which everyone asking is as to why honour a sex maniac with a civil award? The worthy President is requested to get Zahoorul Akhlaque’s name deleted from the awards list forthwith as this amounts to insulting the civil awards. Not only this civil award but also other honours and awards conferred on Zahoorul Akhlaque, including naming of the NCA art gallery after his name, should also be withdrawn.
—The writer is Deputy Controller (R), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
