Artful: Activist painter remembered

Arjumand Awan who was killed on Friday remembered by his friends; police suspect servants.

ISLAMABAD:

Arjumand Awan was a multi-faceted person – a loving father, a renowned painter and a dedicated human rights activist. He would have turned 55 on April 9 this year.

The tragic news of his alleged murder at his Police Foundation residence on Friday morning came as a bolt from the blue for his family and friends.

The artist’s Twitter profile says, “… in the process of self discovery. I create my own world. Painting is my language.”

He leaves behind two sons and a daughter, whom he had been raising as a single parent. “I haven’t seen anyone sacrifice as much as my father did,” said Kashif, 24, his eldest son. His younger siblings are both university students.

Awan’s recent works revolved around social themes pertaining to human rights. Moreover, his paintings also reflected a bent towards spirituality and mysticism. For his contributions in the human rights, Benazir Bhutto awarded him a gold medal in 1994. He has showcased his work at all the major galleries in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

Meanwhile, the artists’ community in the twin cities has also expressed a deep sense of shock over his death.

“It’s unbelievably sad,” said Raja Najammul Hassan, an artist and close friend of Awan’s. “He was a good artist and a humble person.”

“I’m just shocked to hear the news,” said Gallery6 curator Dr Arjumand Faisel.

Jharoka Art Gallery curator Nahida Raza said “It’s heartbreaking to lose someone like him.”

Awan was buried on Friday evening. His soyem will be held in Sector G-6 today.

Police clueless who killed Arjumand Awan

The Loi Bher Police Station have registered a murder case and the investigation officer said Awan’s servants, who apparently left the house around the time of murder, are the prime suspects. The servants were hired a few months back, police said.

The officer said Awan’s throat was slit with a sharp object. He said there was no indication that valuables were stolen from the house. The officer admitted that police had not established any clear motive for the servants to have killed Awan. A post mortem report is expected on Monday, the officer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.