Gali-e-Dastoor opens at Parliament House
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) Gali-e-Dastoor, the gallery hosting the documented constitutional history of Pakistan, was launched here at Parliament House on Monday.
The soft launch of the Gali-e-Dastoor and the adjacent Awami
Courtyard witnessed a guided visit by Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani.
Later in the day, all senators were given guided tours to the designated area by dividing them in five groups based on constituencies. Media persons were also shown the gallery and courtyard afterwards, said a press release.
It is a dedicated area on the first floor of the Parliament House building. It hosts the important yet most neglected aspects of the Pakistani history. It is the first big step in compiling and displaying the constitutional history of Pakistan.
The guided tour starts with playing a video documentary which tells about the thematic and content based information about the gallery and courtyard in five minutes.
Then the visitors are given a walk through the gallery whichhas a mural, divided into five panels of constitutional history in chronological order. After the gallery the visitors are introduced to the courtyard which is host to a sitting area and a fountain which is a symbol of federation.
A diverse team worked in making the concept of Gali-e-Dastoor a practical reality. Three faculty members and nine students from
National College of Arts Rawalpindi campus worked on the mural and courtyard.
The Capital Development Authority has executed the project through five officials and 20 labouers, who did skilled and manual labour work and provided technical support.
The mural, first of its kind, is divided into five segments of history highlighted through pictures. It is a tribute to Pakistanis, who worked for a democratic Pakistan.
The large tiles on the floor represent the space and progress available to the people but the narrow ones signify the strangulation which then roll into a pebbled flooring flowing from the dark period in the mural.
Light floor tiles on right show an artificial peace and prosperity while in fact the main tiles are depicting a different story.
In the skirting running continuously through the mural, grey tiles symbolize the intrigues that continue to circumvent the democratic process while the light coloured tiles reflect the silver lining.
Each of the first four panels of the mural ends at martial law.
The first panel on the mural is an account of Pakistan's struggle to have a constitution. The second panel is the story of how people's voice is subdued into nothingness during rule of a dictator.
The third panel is a breather in the checkered history. It shows how the people struggled from the loss and diverse political forces sat together and decided on nothing less than a consensus document for governing the civic life of the citizens of Pakistan.
The fourth panel is a living example of what happens when the constitutional rights are suspended.
The fifth and last panel provides testimony to the resilience of the people of this country, resilience that is in their very nature.
It narrates the commitment of the political leadership backed by the people to bring back essence of the Constitution of 1973.
It includes the first ever smooth transition from one democratically elected governments to another which is the way forward for democracy to flourish in Pakistan.
In the courtyard, water circulation and flow has been used, for like thoughts water cannot be restrained. Water at the foundation of the fountain symbolizes the people of Pakistan, who are the real driving force of the country.
Rising towards the top, it signifies how the provinces have surrendered their rights and sovereignty to the federation under the Constitution.
The flow of water from top into the tuff symbolizes the devolution of power from federation to provinces.In the background the visitors can hear a famous Pakistani music composition (Khyber Mail) set by Sohail Rana.
