The photographs taken by Nashmia Haroon, a National College of Arts graduate and a lecturer of Visual Arts at the Beaconhouse National University, highlight the moderate sections of the community. Haroon said that Pakistan’s name had been associated recently with images of terrorism, extremism and fundamentalism. This, she said, was a serious problem.
She said by capturing actual moments of protests and rallies, she wanted to show the nation’s intolerance towards ethnic violence and sectarianism.
“We are Jinnah’s nation. He struggled for a tolerant and just society,” she said.
Mahira Bhatti, a visitor, said that the artiste seemed to be targeting the masses who did not participate in such protests. By showing famous people including artistes and environmentalists, she has tried to persuade the passive citizens to play an active role for bringing a change.
Some spectators, however, disagreed with a broader mass being the artiste’s intended audience. Hassan Khan, an activist, praised a picture of artiste Samina Peerzada leading a protest in 2009. Another picture had captured the scenes of a protest against violence against women in Swat that was led by artist Nadia Jamil in 2009.
Haroon is currently teaching studio and documentary photography and runs a professional photography studio called Nashmia Haroon Photography. Her work has found a place in international print media including The Wall Street Journal.
The exhibition will continue till March 26.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2011.
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