PESHAWAR: The provincial capital`s sole theater-cum-auditorium Nishtar Hall has been in the limelight for the last one and a half decades for being part of controversies one way or the other.

Before the installation of the Muttahida Majlisi-Amal government in 2002, the military government in the province had closed down the hall for drama and other cultural activities on the pretext of applying bralces on `indecency` in Peshawar.

The clergy-led government continued with the ban in an attempt to further scale up the level of `morality and decency` in society. During the ANP-PPP coalition government, the auditorium often remained locked on account of security reasons.

Now, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government a combination of moderates, Islamists and nationalists has placed a ban on `political or seemingly political activities` in Nishtar Hall which was recently renovated ata cost of Rs35 million.

MMA banned cultural activities and PTI put ban on political activities in the hall that was built in 1988. The decision about ban on political gatherings and functions at Nishtar Hall came to the fore when the Mian Rashid Shaheed Foundation sought permission from the cultural directorate to commemorate sixth death anniversary of Mian Rashid Hussain, who was killed by militants on July 24, 2010.

The foundation, a charity-cum-welfare body was founded and named after Mian Rashid, the only son of ANP veteran leader and former minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, who is the recipient of Hilal-1-Imtiaz.

Mian Iftikhar, who is currently central general secretary of ANP, has no personal enmity.

Militants assassinated Mian Rashid because of his father`s blunt role against militancy. A national award was given to Mian Iftikhar in recognition of his courageous role against militants.

According to the organisers, the ANP had nothing to do with the function. A gray-haired father wanted to hold the ceremony at a secure place just to remember his son.

The directorate presumed that the function might become a political gathering and therefore, it refused to issue NOC for it to the foundation.

Director (culture) Abdul Basit said the chief secretary had notified standard operating procedures (SOPs) last year that did not permit political activities in the hall.

`Political activities or seemingly politicalactivities are not allowed in the hall,` he told Dawn.

He said the venue could be used for activities other than political lil(e cultural, arts, seminars and workshops. No political party including the ruling PTI would be allowed to use the hall for political purposes, he said.

`If politics is so bad then ban political parties, said one analyst, adding that politics was a very broad term.

Workers of political parties in general and ANP in particular are under threat. The party has lost more than 800 leaders and workers in militancy since 2008. Its party chief had survived a suicide attempt.

Lately, the party`s former MPA from Swabi, Shoaib Khan, was killed on Monday.

Its leaders have restricted movement and avoid holding public meetings because of threat perception. The Rashid Shaheed Foundation was organising indoor function for security reasons.

There is an endless series of establishing monuments, memorials etc across the country in the name of those who laid down their lives in the war on terrorism. However, the situation in this particular case is quite the opposite.

`The foundation was holding function to pay tribute to an innocent person who lost his life because of his father,` said Mian Iftikhar, adding that holding anniversary was part of our culture.

`Strangely that a political government placed ban on political activities at a public place,` he said.