Paintings by famous Pakistani artists have long been considered national treasures as they denote cultural values and the significance of our artistic heritage. However, in a webinar, organized by Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan), it was revealed that almost 137 paintings have been stolen from the National Art Gallery (NAG).<\/p>\n
10 of the paintings belonged to AJ Shemza, one of the most famous artists and poets in Pakistan. The paintings were handed over to a woman who claimed to be an heir. However, it was recently discovered that one of his paintings was sold at an extremely high price at Christie\u2019s in the UK.<\/p>\n
Senior artists are now asking Prime Minister Imran Khan and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate the matter. Jamal Shah, former head of Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) said that he filed a complaint with the FIA but no actions have been taken thus far.<\/p>\n
I had summoned a meeting of the PNCA board on the issue, and all members were unanimous in that Shemza\u2019s paintings were a national treasure after he had donated it to the NAG, and they cannot be returned to any of his \u2018heirs\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
National Artists Association of Pakistan (NAAP) has also sent an alert to the Federal Minister for Education and Heritage Shafqat Mehmood regarding this issue. Furthermore, PNCA’s former director-general Naeem Tahir explained that once an artist donates his work it becomes the national gallery\u2019s inventory.<\/p>\n
Nobody has the right to claim these national treasures and it should not be returned or handed out to anyone, no matter what. NAAP Chairman Mian Ijazul Hassan also expressed his disappointment with the minister\u2019s silence.<\/p>\n
Jamal Shah revealed that a total of 137 paintings have been stolen from NAG. What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments section.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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