![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.chughtaimuseum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Prime-Minister-Liaquat-Ali-Khan.jpg\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>An idea was to award a monthly stipend to the artist. The proposal was read by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and he seconded it. But before he could initiate it, he was assassinated in Rawalpindi. It was then picked up by Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin and in January, 1953, it was approved as a pension for Rs 500 per month. It was to start from 1st July, 1953. It went on till 1975, and the last one was picked up in January, 1975. The shame was that Rs 500 was a lot of amounts in 1953, but it was not a lot of amounts in 1975. It was the habit of the artist to pick up his finances after three months, every time, in form of Rs 1500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The news of the pension was reported locally but also in foreign press. For instance, the Lethbridge Herald, 6th November 1953, carried the news internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 1st January, 1975, I drove him to the State Bank of Pakistan. The realization never came that would be his last pension. Actually 16 days after the same, M.A. Rahman Chughtai died at home in the evening. An era had come to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
P.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pension report came in international newspapers too. For example, Lethbridge Herald reported same on 6th<\/sup> November, 1953.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WHEN GOVERNMENTS OF PAKISTAN WERE CONCERNED ABOUT ARTISTSBIZARRE STORY OF PENSION GIVEN BY TWO PRIME MINISTERS PAKISTAN The story of partition is about the worthy becoming poor and the corrupt ready to file notorious claims. Financial throwback was there for M.A. Rahman Chughtai and he rendered meritorious services for the Government of Pakistan, like designing … Continue reading WHEN GOVERNMENTS OF PAKISTAN WERE CONCERNED ABOUT ARTISTS; BIZARRE STORY OF PENSION GIVEN BY TWO PRIME MINISTERS PAKISTAN<\/span>