KARACHI: A Pakistani artist who has discovered his long-lost painting featured in a popular television drama said this week he hoped to reclaim the artwork after authorities launched an investigation into the matter.
Artist Safdar Ali Soomro, from district Ghotki in the southern Sindh province, told Arab News he had submitted two paintings to the Frere Hall gallery in 2017 for display. The paintings were part of his final year thesis in art and design at Sindh University. However, he was later informed that both paintings had gone missing along with those by other artists.
In a dramatic turn of events, seven years later, Soomro was last week watching the popular TV soap “Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum,” an ARY Television production starring Fahad Mustafa and Hania Aamir, when he spotted one of his missing paintings in the background. Soomro took to Facebook and wrote a post saying his lost painting had appeared in episode 17 of the drama at the 22:30 mark.
“I was happy but hurt at the same time,” Soomro told Arab News. “It was clear that Frere Hall had committed a fraud.”
“After seeing my painting, I immediately called Frare Hall, but they didn’t pick my phone.”
The picture shared by Safdar Ali Soomro on September 16, 2024, shows artist Safdar Ali Soomro posing with his paintings, which he says went missing after he submitted his work for display to the Frere Hall gallery in Karachi, Pakistan in 2017. (Safdar Ali Soomro)
Frere Hall management could not be reached for comment, but the drama’s producer Badar Mehmood said the production team had rented the space shown in the soap and was not allowed to place or remove anything there.
“The management of the space can better explain from where the painting came,” Mehmood told Arab News, saying the show’s production team had nothing to do with the stolen painting.
On Monday, Provincial Culture and Tourism Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah formed a two-member committee to investigate the matter, giving it seven days to submit a report and recommend actions.
“If any negligence or lapse is found, action will be taken,” spokesperson culture department Shabbir Ali Babar said, quoting the minister. “Young artists are our assets, we will not tolerate injustice.”
Soomro said he hoped the investigation would bear results.
“It would have been a pleasant surprise to see my painting in a drama, but when I saw it, it reminded me of the fraud that was committed,” Soomro said. “Finding it is like recovering a lost child.”
