Painter Zahoor, daughter shot dead
Dawn Report
LAHORE, Jan 18: One of Pakistan's leading artists Zahoor ul
Akhlaq and his daughter, Jahanara, were shot dead and two other
people were injured by a young man in the artist's home here on
Monday.
The killer is identified by the Shahbaz who was apparently known
to the artist and his family. Raids were being made to arrest
him.
The tragedy brought desolation to the country's art world and to
a happy household getting ready to celebrate Eid. Zahoor's house
at 90, Upper Mall, was filled with grieving artists, writers and
friends.
The shooting occurred around 2.45pm. The SSP of Lahore said the
artist was sitting with a friend, National College of Arts
teacher Anwar Saeed, on the terrace of his house. His daughter,
Jahanara - a well-known classical dancer in her own right and a
student of the late Maharaj Kathak - was in the guest room with
her fiancée, Al-Noor.
It was then that Shahbaz walked in. He was introduced to the
artist a few months ago by a musician, Pappu Sain, and had then
become a frequent visitor to the house.
When he walked in on Monday afternoon, he was said to have joined
Jahanara and Al-Noor in the guest room. They reportedly had an
argument over some issue and Shahbaz started shooting from a
Mauser. Jahanara, 24, sustained bullet injuries and crumpled to
the ground. On hearing the noise of the firing, Zahoor ul Akhlaq
and Prof. Anwar Saeed came down from the terrace to find out what
had happened. Shahbaz then fired at the artist, who died on the
spot, and when Prof. Saeed tried to grapple with the assailant,
he too was shot and injured.
Al-Noor tried to stop the suspect from escaping and was
resultantly shot and injured. Shahbaz escaped from the scene on
foot, the SSP said.
The police were informed about the killing by a neighbour. They
rushed the injured people to the Services Hospital where doctors
pronounced Zahoor ul Akhlaq and Jahanara dead on arrival. The
others were still under-treatment when this report was written
late at night.
The SSP said Pappu Sain or Al-Noor was not aware of Shahbaz's
address. The police took Pappu Sain into custody. During
interrogation he provided police with the address of the suspect.
He said raids were made and expected that the suspect would be
arrested within the next 24 hours.
As news of Zahoor ul Akhlaq's death spread in the city, friends,
admirers, writers and journalists flocked to his home. He was
part of the progressive scene of Lahore and was respected as an
activist for civil rights.
NCA principal Salima Hashmi said Zahoor was acknowledged as a
major influence on modern painters in Pakistan. The painter was
steeped in the tradition of Mughal miniature, Islamic calligraphy
and Islamic geometry," she said. "And yet," she
added, "his work was totally modern."
Salima said he reinvented tradition. She said was also a
sensitive sculptor and printmaker. He had designed the logo for
Agha Khan Cultural Foundation, prepared a major monument at
Tarbella and one of his creations was placed at the entrance of
the federal capital.
He was in the first batch of NCA graduates which included famous
names like Nayyer Ali Dada and Bashir Mirza (BM).
Zahoor ul Akhlaq was born in 1941 in Delhi. He received his early
training in art from his father's calligrapher friend Hafiz Yusuf
Dehlavi. He was also a student of Shakir Ali who called him his
adopted son.
Ms Hashmi said that the artist was among the pioneers and they
looked up to him.
Salima said the artist had a distinguished career as a teacher,
as well. He took an earlier retirement from NCA in 1992 after 25
years of service as a professor of fine arts. He taught at Yale
University in the US from 1988 till 1990 and also at Bilking
University, Ankara.
She said Zahoor's work was recognised the world over. He
participated in an exhibition of "Contemporary Art from
Islamic World" which opened in Venice in the summer of 1998
and recently it was shown at Dolman Bach Palace in Istanbul. His
work had been exhibited in almost every country of the world,
including Japan, the USA and several European countries.
He is represented in public collections in France, Belgium,
British Art Council and Lalitkala academy in Delhi.
Senior journalist I. A. Lehman, RCP chairperson Asma Jehangir and
Architect Nayyer Ali Dada were among those who rushed to the
artist's residence after hearing the news of the tragedy. They
expressed their disbelief and shock at the gruesome murder. Asma
said one could not find words to explain such a tragic death of a
non-controversial person who had no enmity with anybody.
NCA teacher and painter Quads Mirza said: " Zahoor ul Akhlaq
did not influence only the generation of artists after him but
influenced the art of the past also, as we tend to look at the
calligraphy, Islamic geometry, miniature painting and the art of
illuminated manuscripts through his eyes."
In a recent interview with an English-language daily, Zahoor
described an exhibition of his works held in Karachi last month
as "a kind of departure". "I personally feel that
if I continue to do what I am doing, I will be confined to a
realm of past resolutions. For me the creative process is a
continuous cycle which takes time and takes on new meaning. This
show is a venture for another possibility."
The Karachi art scene came under instant gloom as soon the news
of Zahoor's death spread across it. The artists here felt
extremely shocked at the violent death one of over the violent
death of one of the top-most painters of the country.
Veteran painter Ali Imam said: "I was astounded to hear of
the tragic death of one of the most cerebral and creative
artists." He said during the last 35 or 40 years Zahoor's
imagery had been constantly taking new directions, fully
conscious of his rational growth as a painter of significance.
Ali Imam said Zahoor was one of the very few painters who was
well versed with the history of art, history of thought and also
the philosophy of visual imagination. "I could safely say
that he was one of the most outstanding painters who had
persistently been building up his reputation as a painter of
substance," he said. Ali Imam said.
Leading painter and a batchmate of Zahoor's, Jamil Naqsh paid
glowing tributes to the artists. He said Zahoor was one of the
most imaginative painters in Pakistan and had exemplary command
over his medium.
Jamil said he was so shocked that he could not bring himself to
continue painting.
Painter Mehr Afroze said: "I'm at a loss for appropriate
words to convey to you my feelings." A visibly emotional
Mehr said: "It is shocking that we have been are reduce to a
bestial society when people like Zahoor are made target of
terrorism."
She said the country hardly had a few genuine painters and Zahoor
was one of them. He was bestowed with a unique style of painting
by nature.
Expressing profound, painter Nahid Raza said the entire
community, whose number of was very small though, had been badly
shaken.
According to her, Zahoorul Akhlaq was a humane and harmless
person who had never caused harm to anyone in his entire life,
she added. Nahid said Zahoor was an institution by himself and
the gap created by his death would hardly be filled.
She said Zahoor's work was among the most valuable assets of the
nation.
"A man who could hardly hurt a fly should have met such a
violent and senseless end is really shocking and highly
unbelievable," said Zohra Hussain of Cawkandi Gallery where
Zahoor had held his last exhibition only last month. She said his
death was too shocking not only to her but to most of his
friends, contemporaries and juniors.
She said Zahoor was one of the greatest artists the country had
ever produced. He would be least bothered whether his work sold
or not and he never tried to please anyone for gain, Mrs Hussain
said.
"He would be less bothered whether his work sells or not, he
never made any attempt or effort to please someone from his
work," she said.