The outer walls of Karachi Press Club were first blessed with murals of famous Pakistani women in 2016, but it did not take long for the misogyny to take over. The murals, in less than a year, were destroyed by what seemed to be a move made by the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Tehreek-i-Labbaik (TLP).
#PhoolPatti restores the Murals of Women Icons at Press Club which were vandalized by PST. Thank you Ali Salman Anchan and your amazing team pic.twitter.com/7JG5BQ5hbf
— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) January 7, 2017
The person behind these art pieces is the CEO of Phool Patti Haider Ali. Haider painted these murals as a part of their ‘I am Pakistan‘ campaign.
It seems that the strength of these women threatens the fragile egos of men who have nothing better to do with their time. Back in 2017, they used black ink and graffiti to destroy the artwork with derogatory remarks and initials of the fascist religious groups.
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It seems that the problem of murals getting vandalized by misogynists is a worldwide problem.
Left-wing sore losers vandalize women's war memorial during #LondonRiots http://t.co/sxTTlu3zKD
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) May 9, 2015
So someone vandalized a mural of Carlos Santana in the mission. Last time I went someone vandalized murals too but only ones depicting women. Something’s gotta be up.
— B (@Manabedoe) July 15, 2018
History repeats itself
Islam has given women equal, if not more, rights. Some of the extremists seem to have forgotten that. As a consequence of their own interpretations of religion and the role of women, people tend to act out. Just a few days ago, on Sunday 9th of February, the murals were attacked and vandalized once again.
The murals included portraits of Yasmeen Lari (Pakistan’s first female architect), Zubeida Mustafa (a journalist and author), and Fatima Surayya Baija (Urdu novelist and drama writer).
Luckily for us, those who have not seen this work of art can still see Sabeen Mahmud (an activist) and Perween Rahman’s (director of Orangi Pilot Project) beautiful and empowering murals.
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In an interview with Geo News, the president of Karachi Press Club, Mr. Imtiaz Khan Faran expressed he tried to stop the vandalization, but what happens outside of the four walls of their premise can not be controlled by them. Adding that these murals of heroic women should be respected.
Haider Ali also shared his views, saying:
“How can people not understand art? I really have no words to describe how I feel right now. The last time the murals were attacked, I had to repaint them…
…I really don’t know what we will do this time, or if this keeps happening again and again.”
Do you think the people who destroyed these murals of famous Pakistani women face some repercussions? Let us know!
