Pakistan Movement paintings in Punjab PA: Jimmy Engineer says hurt by damage

LAHORE: Historic Pakistan Movement paintings have also been very badly damaged during the tragic happenings and devastation caused in the Punjab Assembly around middle of April 2022.

Parliamentarians and others trampled these paintings after throwing them on the floor without realizing as what damage they were doing intentionally or otherwise, alleged internationally famed and reputed Pakistani artist and peace activist Jimmy Engineer.

Jimmy in a statement on Thursday said he had recently donated two prints of his Pakistan Movement series of paintings through a local art gallery to the Punjab Assembly. These were displayed in the new building of the Punjab Assembly with the approval of Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi who duly appreciated Jimmy Engineer for his creative art work and efforts towards promoting soft, positive, peace loving image of Pakistan and its people before the comity of nations while inter-acting people including artists during his international art exhibitions here and there.

Jimmy Engineer had also presented back-lighted transparencies of his Pakistan Movement paintings way back in 2005 to then Punjab Chief Minister Ch Parvez Elahi at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and Provincial Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi in the Assembly Chambers.

Jimmy Engineer, who arrived in Lahore on two days goodwill visit on Thursday after long period of more than 15 years, in a statement regretted this damage done to his Pakistan Movement paintings as very unfortunate.

He said this only indicated that the people, by and large, have not improved and bettered their attitudes and thinking positively all these years than what he had seen and depicted through these paintings when he had started working on them in 1970s. He maintained that these series of huge Pakistan Movement paintings are still very much relevant in the prevailing circumstances.

He said he will try to donate two more prints of his huge Pakistan Movement paintings for display in the new building of the Provincial Assembly in due course of time.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022