BIRTH OF PAKISTAN AND DAWN OF PAKISTAN ART;
A TIMELESS HORIZON OF M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI.

In 1946 intellectuals connected with Art and Culture of country met at the house of Begum Shahnawaz to devise plans to enrich Pakistan with institutions to enhance the cultural legacy of the Islamic world and to give it new dimensions. This pre-planning resulted in the formation of Alhamra Art Council in Lahore.The foremost there was the artist M.A, Rahman Chughtai. Not only that all Arts Councils in Pakistan at that time like Karachi Arts Council, Peshawar Arts Council and Dacca Arts Council were inaugurated with Chughtai shows and all that is on record. President of Pakistan, General Ayub Khan inaugurated the Karachi Art Council with a huge show of Chughtai Art in 1959. Dacca Arts Council was inaugurated by Governor East Pakistan, General Azam Khan. 

It was a grand event in the cultural history of Pakistan. It was well advertised and well known to people in and outside the country. Delegations came from all over the world. Chancellors from American Universities. Ambassadors flew to Lahore from Karachi. The Governor General of Pakistan, Khawaja Nazimud din was to inaugurate the show. This was in conjunction with the inauguration of ALHAMRA ARTS COUNCIL. The idea discussed at the house of Begum Shahnawaz in 1946. An institution founded by M.A. Rahman Chughtai and he designed its first insignia, which is still valid to this day. He also gave it the name ALHAMRA. He set the whole tone for it. It was to reflect the kind of renaissance in culture which happened to Islamic Arts in Spain. Everything was forward looking.

The first foreign Head of State to visit Pakistan was the Shahinshah of Iran and he too visited the show along with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan. It can be seen in the press photograph too. The place Alhamra was like a second home to us and we visited it often. M.A. Rahman Chughtai even planted many mango trees there, so that the rather barren land could become green. The object to bring Pakistan to the forefront of the Art world, and to save our aesthetics from the ruthlessness of the foreign art world.

The Government of Pakistan had already recognized the contributions of the artist M.A. Rahman Chughtai, with his role of aesthetics for Pakistan. It reflected in an Insignia for Pakistan, a letterhead design for the Government of Pakistan, first and later batch of Postal Stamps, and presentation of Chughtai originals to visiting Heads of State, as well as presentation from Pakistani Heads of State in visits abroad. This reflected in the title people gave him as Mussawar Mashriq (Artist of the East), as well as being officially called as the National Artist of Pakistan. Indeed Prime Minister Liaquat Al Khan would take him to airports with his cabinet in receiving visiting Head of State.

In those days at the height of his unquestioned power, President Ayub Khan gave the first Pride of Performance for Arts to M.A. Rahman Chughtai in 1958. In 1959 it became Hilal Imtiaz. President Ayub Khan did not stop at that. In 1959, he paid a state visit to the HOUSE OF THE ARTIST. It was unheard off and never heard again. A President visiting the house of an artist. The Press seized the opportunity and carried the news at times as headlines.

In recent times the Cultural Ministry proposed an award of NISHAN IMTIAZ for him and sent it to President Pervaiz Musharaf for approval. Interestingly it was rejected for unknown reasons, as a certain lobby resentment was evident. A letter of Mr Naeem, Taher, DG PNCA at tha times prove the nature of the same. Again a couple of times before that even the President of Pakistan, like Ghulam Ishaque Khan had proposed that idea and the Cultural Ministry under Ghulam Rasool rejected same. A very antagonistic letter of DG PNCA then is there on record. Even the President of Pakistan was set aback by the ruthlessness shown in same. Yes, the Governments are not run on any merit, but the short sightedness of people in power with no long range vision for Pakistan. 

Images of Pride of Performance 1958, and Hilal Imtiaz 1959 are enclosed in this blog. Add these to many other awards received by the artist, including a Gold medal awarded by Heinrich Luebke President of West Germany to the artist. A gold coin received from the Shahbanou of Iran was also there. Couple it to the fact that four Chughtai works hang in the US State Department building itself, three were at UNO Headquarters in New York, and one at Peace Palace Hague, the seat of International Court of Justice, Netherlands. Praise letters received from art scholars, historians and VIPS from all over the world. Surely always an addition to the pride of the Pakistani world. Pakistan our pride, and Chughtai art part of our Ideology. Pakistan Forever!