CM Maryam forms committee to fund film production
The CM also approved proposals for the construction of Punjab's first film city, a studio and a post-production lab.
To revive the industry in the province, she also gave permission to build a public sector film school to produce graduates in the field.
The move comes amidst efforts to revive cultural activities in the province as the government organised the traditional celebration of Mela Chiraghan (light festival) earlier this month after a gap of many years ago. A Punjabi culture festival was also organised at Alhamra Arts Council. The government has also introduced policies and restrictions regarding stage performances.
According to a spokesperson for the information and culture department, the decision to revive the local film industry has been taken because it had been suffering due to various issues for the past many years.
The committee that includes senior government officers will prepare a policy to provide financial assistance to local producers. Provincial Senior Minster Mariyyum Aurangzeb is the convener of the committee that has also been given the task of building the film city, a state of the art studio and post-production lab with modern equipment.
The spokesperson said land had been specified for the construction of the film city in the Nawaz Sharif Information Technology City. Work is under way to finalise the design of the film city and other related details.
The committee was formed after the approval of the Punjab cabinet and funds are set to be allocation in the coming annual budget to promote the film industry, then spokesman added.
A former chairman of Pakistan Film Distributors Association, Ejaz Kamran, said while commenting on the decision that producers were not working on film projects in Punjab mainly because of lack of support from the governments.
He said the film associations also were unable to play any role in the prevailing situation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
CM Maryam vows to safeguard rights of minorities
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Quaid-e-Azam's Pakistan is the homeland of all & sundry and everyone is safe and free in it with their faith. She highlighted, 'We pay tribute to all our minority brothers and sisters who always remain active for the development and prosperity of their beloved homeland.' In her message on the National Minorities Day, the CM said that minorities are the symbol of pride of a Pakistani society. She maintained, 'There will be no compromise on the honour, dignity, protection and progress of minorities. The Punjab government is strictly adhering to its policy of granting minorities complete rights for their education, development and welfare.' She noted, 'For the first time in the history, Punjab has achieved the distinction and honour of introducing 'Minority Card' for the welfare of the minority community. Upto 50,000 minority brothers and sisters are being given Rs. 10,500 quarterly through minority cards. The number of minority cards will be increased to 75,000.' She affirmed, 'Punjab attained the honour of passing the first Sikh Marriage Act 2024, now 'Anand Karj' has been given legal status. The pending Hindu Marriage Act 2017 has been approved in 2025. The Punjab government is taking numerous steps so as to make it possible for the minority community residing in Punjab to have easy access to education, health and employment.' The CM revealed, 'In the current financial year, Rs 8 billion have been allocated for the development and non-development budget of the minority community. Grants for religious festivals of the minority community have been enhanced from Rs 60 million to Rs 366 million. A substantial amount has been allocated in the current budget for the restoration of 40 historical gurdwaras, 25 churches and five temples.' She added, 'The Samadhi Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, the Shri Krishna Temple in Rawalpindi and the Church of Pakistan are being rehabilitated and restored. Scholarship funds worth Rs 60 million were allocated for the minority students.' The CM outlined, 'Live courses have been launched in Youhanabad, in the first phase out of which 1,000 students will benefit, and in the second phase 10,000 students will benefit from it. Baisakhi, Holi, Diwali, Christmas and Easter were celebrated in Punjab for the first time at the official level. The minority quota system is being implemented in letter & spirit in the province.' She vowed, 'The Punjab government is the guardian of the rights of minorities and is fully committed to grant them their rightful share in every field of development and progress. We are moving towards a society where love, tolerance and brotherhood will be our hallmark and sole identity. Minorities are the beautiful colour of Pakistan and we will never let this colour fade away.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business Recorder
CM takes notice of murder of young maid
LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has taken strict notice of an alleged torture and murder of a 13-year-old maid in Gujranwala. She has sought a report about the incident from RPO Gujranwala in this regard. She has extended her heartfelt sympathies and condolence to the bereaved family. The CM asserted, 'The accused involved in the heinous incident should be arrested immediately and stern action should be taken against them according to law. Those who committed such a dreadful act to the innocent girl do not deserve any leniency under any circumstance. Justice will be provided to the heirs at all costs.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
18 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Govt the sentinel of minority rights: CM
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Quaid-i-Azam's Pakistan is the homeland of all citizens who are safe and free in the country with their faith. In her message on National Minorities Day, she paid tribute to all minority communities who "always remain active for the development and prosperity of their beloved homeland". She stated that the minorities were the pride of Pakistani society. "There will be no compromise on the honour, dignity, protection and progress of minorities. The Punjab government is strictly adhering to its policy of granting the minorities complete rights for their education, development and welfare," she added. She vowed, "The Punjab government is the guardian of the rights of minorities and is fully committed to granting them their rightful share in every field of development and progress. We are moving towards a society where love, tolerance and brotherhood will be our hallmark and sole identity. Minorities are the beautiful colour of Pakistan and we will never let this colour fade." The chief minister said, "For the first time in history, Punjab has achieved the distinction and honour of introducing a 'Minority Card' for welfare." She said 50,000 citizens were being paid Rs10,500 quarterly through the cards and their number would be increased to 75,000. "Punjab attained the honour of passing the first Sikh Marriage Act 2024. Now 'Anand Karj' has been given legal status. The pending Hindu Marriage Act 2017 has been approved this year. The Punjab government is taking numerous steps to make it possible for the minority communities in the province to have easy access to education, health and employment," she added. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said Rs8 billion had been allocated in the current financial year in development and non-development budget of the minority communities. Grants for religious festivals of the minorities have been enhanced from Rs60 million to Rs366 million. A substantial amount has been allocated in the budget for the restoration of 40 historic gurdwaras, 25 churches and five temples. She added, "The Samadhi Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, Shri Krishna Temple in Rawalpindi and the Church of Pakistan are being rehabilitated and restored. Scholarship funds worth Rs60 million are allocated for minority students." She said training courses had been launched in Youhanabad in the first phase, through which 1,000 students would benefit. In the second phase, 10,000 students will benefit from the initiative. Baisakhi, Holi, Diwali, Christmas and Easter were celebrated in Punjab for the first time at the official level. The minorities' quota system is being implemented in letter and spirit in the province. Meanwhile, over 4,000 cases related to the minority communities have been received by the Virtual Centre for Minorities since its establishment under the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), of which more than 3,600 cases have been resolved and over 750 FIRs registered to ensure justice. In a statement marking National Minorities Day, a PSCA spokesperson said the centre whad been launched for protecting minorities' rights and addressing their concerns effectively. The virtual centre operates through the PSCA's emergency helpline 15. Trained officers handle the complaints on a priority basis. "The PSCA remains fully committed to providing a secure and inclusive environment for all minority communities across Punjab," the spokesperson added, encouraging citizens to utilise the service for immediate police assistance and resolution of grievances. With additional input from APP
