Pakistani art collector-turned-gallerist aims to take local artists’ work to Middle East

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Updated 18 April 2023
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Pakistani art collector-turned-gallerist aims to take local artists’ work to Middle East

  • Human resources expert Jawad Zia was born in Quetta but raised in UAE where he spent 25 years collecting art
  • Zia, who owns 300 works of Pakistani origin, has inaugurated art gallery in Lahore with exhibition based on Arabic script

LAHORE: You would find it difficult to imagine that Jawad Zia, a man who owns 300 works of art from Pakistan, who bought a signed cricket bat from the 1992 cricket World Cup final at an auction house and now runs an art gallery in Lahore, has spent almost the entirety of his life in the United Arab Emirates.

Such is Zia’s passion and his attention to detail when he talks about art that you assume he has always been in the business of producing it. Art seems second nature to him. So, you would find it even more difficult to imagine that up until he took early retirement a few years ago, Zia, 46, was working at MBC’s Dubai-based Al Arabiya news network, in the Human Resources department, rather than as a professional agent or curator in the global art world.

The only surprise is that the opening of Numaish Gah earlier this month in Lahore is Zia’s first formal foray into the art world, an attempt at “wider audiences, institutions, foundations and museums through collaboration.”

“I want to improve the outreach of younger artists in Pakistan, get them more exposure, both here and abroad,” Zia said about his sudden entry into a world he has only admired from a distance, for 25 years, as a collector.

“I want to bridge the gap between the old masters and contemporary art practices,” he added, using the term ‘old masters’ to refer to world-renowned Pakistani artists like Sadequain, Jamil Naqsh, Anna Molka, and Ustad Allah Bakhsh, among others in his collection.




Pakistani art collector-turned-gallerist Jawad Zia (center) speaks to Arab News at the Numaish Gah’s opening exhibition in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 9, 2023. (AN photo)

True to his word — and with courteous donations of two more collectors from the Middle East — Zia has works by Sadequain, often lauded as Pakistan’s greatest calligraphers, sitting across a calligraphic piece by a 28-year-old, recent graduate from Lahore’s, Punjab University, Samara Shahid. The old and the new truly do meet in Zia’s world.

Numaish Gah’s opening exhibition is curated by Sindhi artist, Irfan Gul Dahri, and features another ten artists, four from his home province of Balochistan, one young Pakistani artist residing in Germany and one from Hyderabad in Sindh. The collection is called ‘It Is Written’, an eclectic mixture of styles with one common denominator: the Arabic language. 




The photo taken on April 9, 2023, shows Sindhi artist, Irfan Gul Dahri standing next to his art at the Numaish Gah’s opening exhibition in Lahore, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

Samara Shahid’s work, titled ‘Pateela,’ has exquisite calligraphy in the Thuluth font, the same Arabic font used in the national flag of Saudi Arabia. If it wasn’t for Zia’s gallery, she would possibly have been one of the many burgeoning artists lost in transition.

In fact, a lot of contemporary artists in Pakistan, Zia said, did not know how to move from art education to engaging with the art world itself: “Around 8 out of 10 graduates struggle to make art for any sustained period of time, most give up, which is disheartening for art collectors like me.”




"Pateela", carved aluminum pot in Thuluth font by Samara Shahid, Numaish Gah, Lahore, April 9, 2023. (AN Photo)

Though born in Quetta, Zia chose Lahore as the city for his first gallery because he considers it the cultural hub of Pakistan, its heartbeat. He cited the examples of Shahzia Sikander, Rashid Rana and Salman Toor, contemporary artists who have found major international success but all hail from Lahore.

Speaking to Arab News, Zia said he wanted to bring together 10 foreign artists for the gallery’s next exhibition. As for this first one, it was so rooted in calligraphy and the Arabic script, he explained, partly because of the cultural and linguistic affinity Pakistanis have with the Arab world.

“I want young Pakistani artists to collaborate with other artists from the Middle East,” Zia said, hoping to see a reciprocal, mutually beneficial art and culture relationship develop between the two regions, both of whom the art collector considers home.




The photo taken on April 9, 2023, shows the curator of Gul Dahri (right) the curator of the Numaish Gah art gallery speaking with Saleema Hashmi (second left), a renowned Pakistani artist, and other local artists at the Numaish Gah’s opening exhibition in Lahore, Pakistan. (AN Photo)

His father was a military liaison officer from Pakistan — on deputation — in Abu Dhabi when the Emirates decided to leave the British Protectorate in 1971. He was only 6 years old when his family moved to the UAE. Now, what he truly wants is for Pakistani art to be more accessible, and bigger in scale, and to engage with the Middle East art world he knows best. And he certainly sees an appetite for it. 

“Pakistani artists have always performed well at Art Dubai and Art Abu Dhabi and other galleries in Alserkal Avenue,” Zia said. “Pakistani artists have [also] conducted workshops in Saudi Arabia recently with Misk [a youth program started by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman] and other foundations, which was all well received.”

Dahri, the curator of Zia’s first exhibition, himself has had multiple exhibitions in the UAE.

His idea for the inaugural show of the gallery, “Likha Howa Hay” (It Is Written) visualizes text as art. The Arabic script, via a Persian detour, is the basis for the Urdu alphabet, and many of the local styles of calligraphy, Dahri explained.

One of Dahri’s favorite pieces in the show, “a textual recreation of the big bang theory,” as he called it — ‘The Beginning’ by Shiblee Muneer — has a black canvas with an explosion of Arabic letters in gold scattering like stars across the cosmos: “The idea is that God uttered a phrase and suddenly the universe came into being.”




"The Beginning" by Shiblee Muneer, Numaish Gah, Lahore, on April 9, 2023. (AN photo)

Other memorable pieces include a garment that warriors used to wear under their armor, with Arabic inscriptions that were said to imbue spiritual protection from physical harm.

In Muslim cultures, Dahri said, the grandest ideas were often attached to scripture and text:

“The written word in the context of Islam is our way of conversing with the divine, text is sacred, and that sacredness is definitely coming from the Arab world. So, this exhibition is very strongly tied to the Arabic language ... This particular show is about text, its history and how text is related to human evolution.” 

“In our Urdu context and particularly in Pakistan’s context, a very significant role is played by the Arabic language,” Dahri said. “So, for Pakistan, Arabic is not a foreign language, it’s like the second or third language maybe in the country.”
 


Pakistan PM orders damage review in GB, AJK as monsoon deaths reach 299

Updated 01 August 2025
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Pakistan PM orders damage review in GB, AJK as monsoon deaths reach 299

  • Torrential downpours in both regions triggered landslides, left hundreds of tourists stranded
  • Authorities warned of glacial lake outburst floods as water levels surged in glacier-fed areas

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed authorities to carry out immediate assessments of the loss of life and property caused by recent monsoon rains in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) regions that have been hit hard by flash floods and landslides.

Sharif issued the instructions while chairing a meeting amid rising concerns over the severity of the monsoon season that started in the country on June 26.

While casualties in GB and AJK have so far been reported to be comparatively lower than in Punjab or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, torrential downpours triggered devastating landslides and stranded hundreds of tourists.

Authorities also issued glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) warnings as water levels rose rapidly in glacier-fed catchments.

“The federal government stands shoulder to shoulder with the people, administration and governments of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by his office said in a statement.

“All relevant federal agencies should coordinate with local authorities to estimate the damages incurred in the affected areas,” he added.

Sharif said he will also visit Gilgit-Baltistan soon and roll out a relief package.

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has reported 299 fatalities in its latest situation report on August 1, with maximum casualties in Punjab (162) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (69).

The NDMA data show 10 fatalities in GB and two in AJK, though several tourists were said to be missing in these area since the beginning of the monsoon season.


Pakistan’s annual inflation accelerates to 4.1% in July

Updated 01 August 2025
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Pakistan’s annual inflation accelerates to 4.1% in July

  • The central bank left the key interest rate unchanged at 11% this week
  • The SBP said the policy rate would keep inflation between 5%-7% range

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s consumer inflation accelerated to 4.1% year-on-year in July, up from 3.2% in June, driven by rising prices for food items, fuels and medicines, the statistics bureau said on Friday.

July’s consumer price inflation month-on-month was 2.9%, the bureau said.

The higher inflation reading follows the State Bank of Pakistan’s assessment of a deteriorating inflation outlook, leading it to leave the key interest rate unchanged at 11%.

The bank’s monetary policy committee said on Wednesday that energy prices, particularly for gas, had risen more than expected, and it considered the real policy rate should be adequately positive to keep inflation in the 5%-7% target range.

Pakistan is pushing through a series of economic reforms under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program, including a contractionary government budget passed in June that slashes spending to curb the fiscal deficit.


Pakistani opposition alliance says government trying to ‘eliminate’ rivals, calls for joint strategy

Updated 01 August 2025
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Pakistani opposition alliance says government trying to ‘eliminate’ rivals, calls for joint strategy

  • A two-day multiparty conference condemns convictions of opposition leaders in cases of May 9 rioting
  • Minister Ata Tarar says May 9 trials were fair, accuses the opposition of lacking facts and arguments

ISLAMABAD: A coalition of prominent Pakistani opposition leaders on Friday called for a unified political strategy to address what they described as a systematic effort to eliminate dissent, condemning recent convictions related to the May 9, 2023, riots and rejecting the legitimacy of the 2024 general elections.

The two-day multiparty conference was convened by the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) — or Movement for the Protection of Pakistan’s Constitution — a newly formed alliance of politicians, lawyers and civil society leaders advocating for constitutional supremacy and civilian rule.

Established earlier this year, TTAP is chaired by veteran Pashtun leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai and held its gathering in Islamabad at the residence of former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who said the capital administration had attempted to block the event by sealing off its original venue.

“There is a clear attempt to eliminate the opposition in this country,” Khokhar said toward the end of the gathering, adding: “All parties at the conference unanimously agreed that a comprehensive and joint strategy is urgently needed to steer the country out of this crisis.”

The conference condemned the convictions handed down to the leaders and supporters of the country’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party over their alleged role in the May 9 unrest.

The protests, triggered by Khan’s brief detention by paramilitary rangers on corruption charges, turned violent, with attacks on military installations across the country. An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan convicted the leaders of the opposition in the National Assembly and Senate on charges of being involved in the unrest, though the PTI has frequently described such cases and convictions as politically motivated.

The government, however, said all those who were sentenced were given fair trials within the legal and constitutional framework.

“Fair trials were conducted in the May 9 cases in accordance with the law,” Information Minister Ata Tarar asserted in a televised statement following the opposition alliance’s news conference. “The proceedings lasted two full years, during which the prosecution presented its arguments and evidence.”

The multiparty conference participants also denounced the imprisonment of Khan and his wife, Bushra Imran, and demanded their immediate release.

The declaration agreed at the gathering also accused the government of “fascism and political victimization” and rejected the outcome of the 2024 elections as fraudulent.

It also called for repealing the 26th Amendment, which curtailed judicial autonomy by expanding parliamentary oversight of appointments, saying it had undermined judicial independence in Pakistan, and expressed solidarity with six

Islamabad High Court judges who had spoken out against institutional interference.

Tarar, however, dismissed the opposition’s assertions, saying the participants of the conference “had neither arguments nor facts.”

“Whenever a foreign visit to Pakistan is about to begin, especially by a foreign head of state, such actions are taken to sabotage it and damage the country’s economy,” he added, noting that the conference came just ahead of the Iranian president’s visit to Pakistan on Saturday.


US limits official visits to Karachi hotels after threat report

Updated 01 August 2025
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US limits official visits to Karachi hotels after threat report

  • Security alert urges caution at venues popular with Western citizens, tourists in Karachi
  • State Department’s current travel advisory urges citizens to reconsider visiting Pakistan

KARACHI: The United States has temporarily limited visits by government personnel to high-end hotels in Karachi, Pakistan, after receiving a report of a threat, the State Department said on Friday.

“The US Consulate General Karachi received a report of a threat directed at high-end hotels in Karachi,” the department said in a security alert.

“The US Consulate General in Karachi has temporarily limited visits by official US government personnel to these hotels.”

The State Department said it sometimes declares areas in foreign countries such as tourist attractions, hotels, markets, shopping malls and restaurants off-limits to official US government personnel in response to such threats.

The security alert urges people to avoid the areas and crowds, keep a low profile and to stay alert in places frequented by tourists and citizens of Western countries.

The State Department currently has a travel advisory in place for Pakistan that advises US citizens to reconsider traveling there due to the risk of terrorism and the potential for armed conflict.


Pakistan army chief says China partnership ‘pivotal’ for regional peace amid shifting global dynamics

Updated 01 August 2025
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Pakistan army chief says China partnership ‘pivotal’ for regional peace amid shifting global dynamics

  • Field Marshal Asim Munir spoke at the PLA’s 98th anniversary event at Pakistan Army headquarters
  • He said Pakistan’s ties with China remained ‘time-tested and resilient’ despite regional challenges

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday described the country’s strategic partnership with China as “pivotal” for regional peace and stability, as he highlighted the strength of bilateral ties that have endured despite shifting global geopolitics.

The army chief was speaking at an event held at Pakistan’s military headquarters in Rawalpindi to mark the 98th founding anniversary of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The ceremony was also attended by Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, PLA Defense Attaché Major General Wang Zhong and senior military officials from both countries.

Munir’s statement comes weeks after India’s Deputy Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh, claimed China had provided Pakistan with “live inputs” during a brief but intense four-day military conflict with India in May. Pakistan’s Defense Minister

Khawaja Asif, however, told Arab News prior to that that the outcome of the conflict was a “victory” that was entirely “Made in Pakistan.”

“The Field Marshal highlighted that the Pakistan-China strategic relationship exemplifies mutual trust, unwavering support and shared commitment,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement circulated after the event. “He stressed that despite shifting strategic dynamics, the friendship between the two nations has remained steadfast and unshakable.”

“He [also] emphasized that their enduring partnership will continue to play a pivotal role in promoting regional stability and safeguarding shared strategic interests,” the statement added.

The army chief also praised the PLA for its role in China’s defense, security and nation-building.

He described Pakistan and China as “true brothers-in-arms” whose bond remains “unique, time-tested and exceptionally resilient.”

The Chinese ambassador thanked the Pakistan Army for hosting the ceremony and reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to the strategic partnership.

He also acknowledged Pakistan’s armed forces for their role in counterterrorism.

Pakistan and China are long-standing allies and partners in the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The corridor provides China with direct access to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, while enabling Pakistan to modernize infrastructure and expand regional trade links.