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Pride of Pakistan: Nilofer Shahid


In lieu of Independence Day on August 14, all of August the Daily Times will highlight individuals who continue to make Pakistan proud. Our third interview is with the dynamic fashion designer and humanitarian Nilofer Shahid


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When did you know a career as a fashion designer was for you? Have you had an inspiration or mentor, of sorts?

It has been a long and tough journey and has been an evolution of sorts. One thing led to another. In 1979, I started out doing block prints and hand painting, moved onto embroideries and finally launched The House of Meeras in 1991. The only inspiration behind my work, for the past 30 years, has been Pakistan's own rich culture and traditions and every form of art, indigenous crafts and textiles that our artisans employ. One must have the passion to take these things forward, locally and internationally. The guidance came with great history and potential from my own conviction and from the depths of my soul. I have a passion to translate the works of our grand masters like Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Allama Iqbal, Mirza Ghalib, Omar Khayyam, Kahlil Gibran and Rumi and pay a tribute to these great legends.

"I have always chosen the toughest paths, never taken any short cuts and followed my dreams. As a woman, there has always been a lot on my plate but it's all how you manage"



Why did you choose the name Meeras for your fashion house?

"Meeras" mean legacy and our very own heritage. In retrospect, what better word could I give it? It was also a sort of defiance to all the foreign influences, which consume our society and put our own identity in crisis.




How would you define fashion?

The best quality of fashion is that it has no quantum definition, no boundaries and no geographical barriers. It's a global family. You cannot put fashion in a box. The power of fashion lies only in one's own persona, effective only in the beauty of elegance and carriage. Fashion is definitely not a tool for one's popularity or success. It is who you are within, which shines through and your inherent style and intellect individuality which defines you.



You have been the only Pakistani couturier to showcase at Paris Couture Week along with the likes of Balenciaga and last year, you were awarded the prestigious Grade de Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for your innovative reimaging of Pakistani craftsmanship at the Governor House, Lahore. Can you tell us more about that?

Grade de Chevalier is the knight hood bestowed by the French government and it was definitely a defining moment and something very humbling for me. My dream was to put Pakistan on the fashion map and no doubt I have passionately pursued this path relentlessly. In general, my vision for Pakistan has no boundaries. There is great potential and no dearth of talent in any area and very soon we will triumph! Regarding our fashion field, finally the recognition has come and the boom of our industry is here. I have great hopes and aspirations for Pakistan and the Pakistan fashion industry. A new era has begun.



What does it mean to be Pakistani for you?

I'm a very proud Pakistani and very proud of our exotic heritage in all aspects.



What do you do when you face a setback or a hurdle in any of your plans or ventures?

I am a total fatalist with strong faith and determination. I have always chosen the toughest paths, never taken any short cuts and followed my dreams. As a woman, there has always been a lot on my plate but it's all how you manage. It's how you learn to manage to have belief in your convictions. Behind all my humble achievements and these exotic collections are years of research, trials and tribulations, constant hard work, soul searching journeys, sheer perseverance and of course, a deep passion for my work.

"My dream was to put Pakistan on the fashion map and no doubt I have passionately pursued this path relentlessly"



You have not showcased any of your prêt or bridal collections at local fashion weeks. Why not?

I have been very busy with my work and I am also currently revamping and restructuring my work place. After working for more than 30 years, one does need a well-deserved breather.




When you're not working, you are....

My family is my first priority, I love spending time with my children and grand children. I also love travelling and exploring the world.




What's keeping you busy these days?

I'm planning and working on new couture collections and will be launching my luxury prêt designs along with jewellery, accessories and more.



We, at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours?

Thank you for the honour. It's most humbling. We have no dearth of national heroes. We are a great nation and we absolutely need to be proud of who we are. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sadequain and Abdur Rahman Chughtai are mine.



Achievements

  • Paris Couture Week

    Nilofer Shahid has been the only Pakistani to showcase at Paris Couture Week along with the likes of Balenciaga. Shahid was lauded for her exquisite couture collections, where the juries equated her work to that of Christian Dior.


  • Grade de Chevalier


    • Nilofer Shahid is the recipient of the prestigious Grade de Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government for her innovative reimaging of Pakistani craftsmanship
  • World Fashion Week 2012

    Nilofer Shahid was the official representative of Pakistan during the World Fashion Week 2012, held in New York
Pride of Pakistan: Nilofer Shahid
 
Hitch a night ride for free... with Hyderabad's dynamic duo

Manesh Kumar — Updated about 8 hours ago

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For one decade, Aashique and Zafar have been offering bike rides to men who could not afford rickshaw fares.

Late into the night, as traffic begins to disappear on the roads of Hyderabad, the streets are all but abandoned. Only a few stone-loaded trucks are seen chugging along; and the occasional car, land cruiser or bike whizzing past at such a speed that one cannot even see them easily.

At this hour of darkness, when a number of Hyderabad's citizens are desperately looking to hitch a ride from one spot to another, there are two people who offer to do just that ... for free.

Aashique Ali lives in the village of Allahdad Chand, Paka Qilla, Hyderabad. For a living, he repairs motorbikes at his shop in Khokhar Muhalla. After closing shop, he takes up a second job, one that yields no profit except what he earns in solace and peace of mind.

Everyday, Aashique and his friend, Zafar Ali, rev up Aashique's motorbike to offer free transport to those who who cannot rent a rickshaw.

Aashique stands at Giddu chock, a spot where roads go out to different parts of the city: Kotri, Qasimabad, Latifabad, Hussainabad, etc. He picks and drops people wherever they want to go.

“I work at shop to make a living, but that’s not what I came for in this world,” he said. “Doing what I do for these people makes me feel that I’m also useful in this world, and my life is not of no avail. It makes me happy.”

The free rides begin after 11pm, and end at 2am. But in Ramazan, they go on till Sehri. There are now 20 to 25 people whom Aashique and Zafar pick from different places and drop at their homes on a regular basis.

'Zindagi Gulzar Hai'


Aashique's friend Zafar Ali is blind, not by birth but since childhood. At the age of four, he fell from the stairs and critically injured. His parents were uneducated and decided to cure him at home instead of taking him to the hospital. The mistake wreaked havoc on his life. His eyesight began to wane slowly, and within six more years, he was completely blind.

That was the point Zafar left school, in grade five. After that, he and his friend Aashique Ali, too, stopped his studies.

Zafar Ali is now married and the father of two sons. He previously thought he was living an aimless life because he could do nothing but sit at home all the time, but when he joined his friend’s company he found new meaning to the life.

“I have found a way to give meaning to a life which was useless. Despite my handicap, I’m able to lend a helping hand to the helpless. I have escaped attacks, including one where a bullet scraped my finger. But I’m dedicated to the work. It make me happy,” he says.

Zafar and Aashique were born in the same week, lived in the same neighbourhood, played and studied together, and are now doing social work together which they want to continue as long as they keep having the strength to do so.

Since Zafar can’t work, Aashique Ali buys used motorbikes for him, and helps him repair and sell them, so that his friend has a livelihood.

“I don’t want to leave him alone,” said Aashique Ali. “He can’t live without me, neither can I without him.”

Rs250 every day for 10 years in a row
Every morning, Aashique Ali puts aside Rs250 for his night rides. The money is enough to run his bike for three to four hours continuously.

Where did the idea for this service come to him?

“Some ten years ago, in 2005, we were returning to home from Kotri’s Baba Salahuddin shrine late at night. On the way, we met a lonely young boy who requested for a ride to Hyderabad. When we dropped him off at his home, he wept and prayed for us. On that day, we decided to start this service, and be it rain or cold, we haven’t missed a single day, except Saheed Benazir’s assassination incident, when the police did not allow us to work for 15 days.”

Aashique Ali said that they did not have a car, or they would even pick up people from the more remote areas of the city.

In a city like Hyderabad, where every bike owner has his own tale of mugging, how were these two surviving, I asked.

“We have been attacked by muggers several times, including the time a bullet grazed Zafar's finger,” says Aashique. “No doubt its dangerous. Initially, the policemen also disturbed us; they would inquire about us from everyone we dropped off. But now we know the policemen and they know us.”

Aashique said that at first, people would laugh at the two; relatives called them crazy and parents advised them against it. But they kept it up, and now they are known for their work. Their phone numbers are spread all across the city and people can ring them up from anywhere in the city at any time to set up a ride.

In these ten years, they have used the same bike, whereas some 15 other people whom they once lifted from one place to another, had now bought their own motorbikes.


“In a society where no one cares about others, offering such a service looks very odd; which is why, in the initial days people would shy away from us,” says Aashique.

“We asked people where they want to go, so that we may offer them lift. Many of them grew suspicious and tried to avoid us. To solve that problem, we put a tape recorder on the bike and would play na'ats, which made them trust us more.”

But for most people who meet these two Good Samaritans for the first time, they are still too good to be true.

—All photos by author
 
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Atif Mian - Professor of Economics at Princeton University

In the September 2014 edition of the quarterly publication, Finance and Development, IMF named 39 year old Pakistani American Atif Mian among 25 economists under 45 “who are shaping the way we think about the global economy”.



@WAJsal
 
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Young entrepreneur becomes ray of hope for Swat women

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Shawls with Swati stitching. ─ Photo by author.

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A woman gets training on a handloom.

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Women check the stitching

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A stitched shirt displayed in the centre.

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A sample of Swati stitching. ─ Photo by author.

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Decoration items on display.

MINGORA: During the three years of militancy, when there was no ray of hope for the traumatised widows and orphan girls in Swat, Shama Khalilur Rehman, a young entrepreneur, came forward to not only rehabilitate them but also help them to stand on their own feet.

She opened a vocational centre in Swat in 2009 and motivated the needy women to learn skills and earn their livelihood in a respectful way.

She said that she set up the centre as she could not see the suffering of the poor women, whose spouses were killed during the militancy. “I decided to provide a platform to them where they could share their burden with others and learn skills,” Ms Rehman told Dawn.

She said that she was successful in imparting training to about 2,000 women. The Shama Vocational Centre not only trained the women but also linked them with the market to get better rates for their artifacts.

About 2,000 women have received training at Shama Vocational Centre so far
“The major problem of the women here is that they do not have market linkages due to which their products are bought at very low rates. I linked them with bigger markets of the country like Lahore, Gujranwala and Karachi etc,” Ms Rehman said.

The centre has also revived the original Swati stitch, which is in high demand in the international market for its uniqueness. The women learn embroidery, sewing and knitting besides doing beautician course at the centre. The trained women are happy as their income is ten times higher now.

“When I came to know about the vocational centre, I came here and learnt stitching. Now they give me work and also sell the items in the market at a higher price. I can easily earn livelihood for my children and fulfil other needs,” she said.

Sardar Begum, a mother of four, said that life was hard before she was connected with the centre as she could earn Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 a month. Now she can earn Rs10,000 to Rs12,000 easily in a month as she is connected with the centre. Some of the women have started teaching in the centre after completing their vocational courses.

“My sister and I live alone as our parents are dead. I had learnt the stitching but it was not of professional standard. So I refined my work here and now I have been teaching and also stitch in spare time to earn more money,” said Amna, a trainer at the centre.

The centre also supports young girls and motivates them to get education. “I learnt stitching skill in six months. I earn Rs5,000 to Rs6,000 a month and also study in a college,” Mehnaz Bibi, a BSc student, told Dawn.

Ms Rehman learnt stitching, embroidery and knitting skills from her physically challenged mother, who, despite her husband’s illness, did not lose heart and taught her daughter.
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Another Dabang Ayesha of Punjab Revenue Authority in action after Ayesha Mumtaz

Another Dabang Ayesha of Punjab Revenue Authority in action after Ayesha Mumtaz.



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Meet the first Pakistani visual effects artist in Hollywood


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Artist recalls landing a job at Walt Disney Pictures and how it shaped his entire future. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Conquering foreign lands with robust talent, Pakistanis have proved their mettle to the world. While we talk about Pakistanis making waves in Hollywood, meet the man who was the first visual effects artist in Hollywood, Muqeem Khan.

Speaking exclusively to The Express Tribune, Muqeem recalls landing a job at giant entertainment film company, Walt Disney Pictures and how it shaped his future.

“I was exploring job opportunities in 1996 when I was told that Walt Disney Pictures was looking for creative artists for their film George Of The Jungle. I applied for the position and got hired,” he said.

A fresh graduate at the time, Muqeem could hardly believe his luck. “It was incredible. Straight-out-of-school I was being given an opportunity to work with top level professionals from the field,” he added.

The Pakistan born visual effects artist, who is an Industrial Design graduate from Ohio State University, has names like Walt Disney Pictures and Square USA films to his credit.

He initially enrolled at National College of Arts, Lahore in 1988 to pursue a degree in Architecture but left for the US after a year in hopes of continuing his education abroad.

He shares his experience working on the following projects:

George Of The Jungle:

He had to create digital elephant’s feet stomping on the ground — an assignment which took four months to complete.

“It may sound extremely simple, but it is actually quite complex when it comes to detailing; particularly at that time when not many tools were available and computer graphics had only just entered into the motion picture industry,” he said.

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Flubber:

After George of the Jungle, Muqeem’s next project was Robin Williams’sFlubber.

“I had to create clouds and wisps that interacted with the star’s car, when he flies through the sky. It required around a month of research and development,” he explained.

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Armageddon:

Michael Bay’s film which featured Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck was a tricky one to do.

“We had to show an explosion taking place on a surface similar to that of the moon. We had no live footage of that to work around/with. We had to combine physics and arts to show how the debris would move in space,” he said.

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Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within:

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nice share, your threads are very refreshing bro :)
 
Alhamdolilah Pakistan takes "World Maths Day and World Education Games Trophy"
Ali Saud Khan (Grade-9) and Abeeha Saud Khan (Grade-4) and three more kids from Pakistan achieved THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPION GOLD MEDAL AWARD in Mathematics & Science and won Trophy in both the Fields. Now Pakistan holds the FIRST NATION to be honored as Mathematics Champion.
Great achievement for All Pakistanis and Role Model for the whole nation.Continue Making us Proud!!!!
 
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Atif Mian - Professor of Economics at Princeton University

In the September 2014 edition of the quarterly publication, Finance and Development, IMF named 39 year old Pakistani American Atif Mian among 25 economists under 45 “who are shaping the way we think about the global economy”.



@WAJsal

I personally know 2 people from Gilgit Baltistan studying at Harvard and 1 in MIT. I also know one Balochi Hazara guy from a very VERY remote village who did his masters from Harvard and is now in MIT doing his PHD.
 
I personally know 2 people from Gilgit Baltistan studying at Harvard and 1 in MIT. I also know one Balochi Hazara guy from a very VERY remote village who did his masters from Harvard and is now in MIT doing his PHD.
:tup:
 
I personally know 2 people from Gilgit Baltistan studying at Harvard and 1 in MIT. I also know one Balochi Hazara guy from a very VERY remote village who did his masters from Harvard and is now in MIT doing his PHD.
Boys from Gilgit-Baltistan are very sharp minded and hardworking,there was one in my class.


regards
 
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International recognition: AKU’s Dr Bhutta receives award in health, life sciences

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Turkish president presents Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta the 2015 International TÜBA Academy Prize. PHOTO: aku.edu

KARACHI: Researcher Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta has been presented a prestigious Turkish award, the 2015 International TÜBA Academy Prize, in health and life sciences, said a press statement issued by the Aga Khan University on Monday.

Dr Bhutta, the founding director of the Centre for Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University and the co-director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health in Toronto, received the award from Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey.

The annual TÜBA Academy prizes are presented by the Turkish Academy of Sciences in three categories to scientists with original and path-breaking works in their fields. Dr Bhutta received the award in recognition of his ground breaking research on mother and child health, and contributions to global health and policy.

“I accept this award with great humility, on behalf of many in my team who have worked hard over the years to uphold the vision and mission of the Aga Khan University in supporting research and scholarship to address the lives of poor and marginalised women and children,” said Dr Bhutta.

“The fact that it comes from Turkey, a leader in science and research in the Islamic world, based on the nomination from the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, makes it all the more rewarding,” he added.

Other two recipients of TÜBA Academy Prize included Niyazi Serdar Sarıçiftçi of Linz Johannes Kepler University in basic and engineering sciences, and Mehmet Genç of Istanbul Şehir University in social sciences and humanities.

Published in The Express Tribune

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  1. Sadequain - Remarkable Messenger of Pakistani Art

  1. Sadequain traveled all over the world long before it became fashionable and accessible to his generation. His paintings were widely displayed on all continents and received praise from public and connoisseurs alike and commanded generous press coverage..............

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    • 1930, Born in Amroha, UP, India.
    • 1948, Graduated from Agra University in Art History. Migrated to Pakistan.
    • 1954-60, Held numerous one-man exhibitions at Quetta Residency, and in Karachi at Prime Minister H. S. Suhrawardy’s residence, Frare Hall, executed murals in Jinnah Central Hospital, Karachi Airport, Services Club, and Mangla Dam Committee Room.
    • 1960, Awarded "Tamgha-e-Imtiaz" and First Prize in the All Pakistan National Exhibition of Paintings. Visited France at the invitation of the French Committee of International Association of Plastic Arts and awarded Laureate Biennale de Paris by the International Jury of Critics.
    • 1961, Executed several murals, including “Treasures of Times” in the Headquarters of the State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi.
    • 1962, Awarded president’s medal for "Pride of Performance." Exhibition at "Musee Maision du Culture". Le Havre, France. One-man Exhibition at Galerie Lambert, Paris and permanent exhibition at Galerie Mona Lisa, Paris.
    • 1963, Visited USA, UK, and France. Exhibition at Henry Gallery, Washington. Exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute Galleries, London. Exhibition at the N.V.C. Gallery, London. Exhibition in the 5th Salon of the "Young and Great Artists" at the Museum of Modern Art, Paris.
    • 1964, Exhibition at Galerie Presboug, Paris. Selected to do color


    • lithographs for a special publication of the novel by Albert Camus, L’ Etranger, published by the Automobile Club of France.
    • 1965, Several exhibitions in France including at Nouran Havre, Palais de la Mediterrinean, Chateau-Musee Annecy, Musee Casino Dieppe, Casino de Charbonnieres, and Musee Macon. Also exhibition of Paintings at the Arts Council Gallery, Karachi and at Alhamra, Lahore.Executed the mural "War and Peace" at Karachi.


    • 1966, Retrospective Exhibition of 300 paintings at the Banking Hall of the State Bank Headquarters, Karachi. Exhibition on Lloyd Triestino's ship "Victoria" while crossing the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea.Executed a mural in Lusanne, Switzerland entitled "Pakistan" in the Pakistan Pavilion in the Swiss Fair. Later on that mural was exhibited in New York and Tokyo and now it is permanently installed in Toronto, Canada. Executed a mural "Flight" in the PIA, Office at Paris.
    • 1967, Executed the mural entitled"Saga of Labor" at Mangla Dam Power House. Executed a Mural "The Light of the Book" in the Punjab Public Library.
    • 1968, Executed the mural "Quest for knowledge" for the library of the University of Punjab. Executed murals for the Auditorium of the Punjab University entitled “The Confrontation” and “The Triumph.” Exhibition of Murals and Paintings at "Al Hamra.” Held series of exposition of paintings at the PIA Auditorium titled "Barbed Wire," "Reflection Series," and Exposition of 25 paintings, illustration on the verses of Mirza Ghalib. Also exposition of the Calligraphies of Verses of the Holy Quran executed during the month of Ramzan.
    • 1969, More paintings based on the poetry of Ghalib to celebrate the death centenary of Ghalib. Exposition of paintings based on the poetry of Ghalib and Calligraphies of the concerned verses at the Arts Council Buildings, Karachi. Composed some 1500 Rubbaiyyat. Painted about 100 paintings on the themes of Rubaiyyat. First Edition of the "Rubaiyyat-e-Sedequain-e-Naqash" appeared.


    • Exposition of Paintings and Poetry with Calligraphy at the Arts Council Building, Karachi. Started Calligraphy of "Sura-e-Rahman:" Concentrated on calligraphy resulting in an Exposition of Calligraphic works during the month of Ramzan 1390 A.H. at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi. After floods in East Pakistan painted a large mural on the theme of man's struggle against the hostile forces of nature. That mural was donated to the Naval Head-quarters, Queen's Road, Karachi, and it was housed there. Later shifted to Istanbul Turkey.


    • 1970, Exposition of the Calligraphic works at the Library of Headquarters of the State Bank of Pakistan during the International Islamic Conference. Executed some large drawings, paintings and calligraphies based on the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz to celebrate the 60th Birthday of Faiz Ahmad Faiz.


    • Made some 200 pen and ink drawings for the illustrated edition of Rubaiyyat-e-Sadequain-e-Naqash" and wrote the preface of the "Bayaz-e-Sadequaini".
    • Exposition of the paintings based on Ghalib's poetry side by side. Executed "Sura-e-Yasin" 260 ft. on wooden panels for the Islamic Gallery and donated it to the Lahore Museum. Exhibition of Calligraphic works at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, while being admitted in the Jinnah Hospital.
    • Executed the ceiling at the Lahore Museum's central gallery. Finished the ceiling on 3rd August 1973, and gave it away as a gift to the wheat colored beauties of Lahore.
    • Exposition of the Calligraphic works at the Liaquat Memorial Hall, Rawalpindi.


    • 1974, Worked on Calligraphic Paintings. Preparations of the "Air Mail Edition" made for the Middle East Traveling Exhibitions.

    One man shows at the following cities of Middle East:

    • Municipal Library Hall, Dubai (U.A.E.)
    • Main Hall, Hilton Hotel, Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.)
    • Markazul Funoon, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
    • Ardul Muarad, Museum of Cairo, (Egypt)
    • National Museum of Damascus, Damascus, (Syria)
    • Hall of Jardon Intercontinental, Amman (Jordon)
    • National Art Gallery of Kuwait, (Kuwait).
    • Museum of Modern art, Baghdad (Iraq)


    • 1975, Wrote quatrains and made line drawings only. Painted two large murals for the Sports Complex, Islamabad. Converted Montgomery Hall into his painting workshops. The theme was the struggle for emancipation,fighting for freedom of the nations of Asia and Africa Their fight against imperialism.


    • 1976, Calligraphed 99 "Isma-e-Husna" on squarish pieces of Chip Board. Now permanently in the Islamic gallery Lahore museum as a gift to the city.


    • 1977, Did some two hundred line drawings and composed Rubaiyat (quatrains). Paintings based on lqbal's poetry. A series of films "Mojiza-e-Fun" was made by the Lahore T.V. Exhibition of Calligraphy in Punjab Arts Council. Exhibition of paintings based on the poetry of lqbal in the Lahore Museum.


    • 1978, Books of poetry along with illustrations. The whole year was devoted to calligraphy. An exhibition of Arches followed during the month of Ramazan of 1399 AH in Lahore museum. Now they are permanently fixed in the Islamic Gallery of Lahore museum as a donation by the artist.


    • 1979, More Calligraphies. National bank of Pakistan calligraphic mural some smaller murals for the said Bank and during the same period, made nine more calligraphic murals for the Lahore museum as a permanent feature of the Islamic gallery as a gift. Some fine compiled books of quatrain with illustrations. Published personal letters to the Elder brother Kaz-e-man exactly as they were written from Europe and America during the sixties.


    • Spectacular permanent manifestation of the works of Calligraphy in the Lahore museum's Islamic Gallery. More murals were added into the Architectural setting of the Gallery. Went to Abu Dhabi, on a special invitation of the ministry of Water and Electricity to do a calligraphic mural in the lobby of the prestigious power station at Urn-ul-Naar. Awarded "Sitara-e-lmtiaz".


    • In Bahrain, International Islamic Exhibition on the turn of the century of Hijra: Pakistan was represented with only Sadequain's Calligraphies. The Pakistan section was visited by His Highness the Amir of Bahrain together with Mr. Yasir Arafat. The Pakistan section was awarded the first prize. Left the Trophy to be kept in the Pakistan Embassy, Bahrain. Invitations from Istanbul and London for exhibitions.


    • 1980, Hijra Celebrations in Karachi by holding first an Exposition of Calligraphy.


    • 1981, Inauguration of Galerie Sadequain in Islamabad. Arrived at New Delhi after 33 years. Visited Amroha. Exposition of Calligraphies, International Trade Fair, New Delhi. Exposition of Paintings and Drawings sponsored by Indian Council for Cultural Relations at State Lalit Kala Academy, Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi.


    • 1982, Exhibition of Calligraphies and Drawings at Kennedy Hall, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.


    • Executed the Calligraphy of the University motto for Moulana Azad Library, A.M.U. Aligarh.
    • Executed a Metallic Mural for the exterior of the Department of Geography, A.M.U. Aligarh.
    • Exhibition of Paintings & Calligraphies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
    • Exhibition of calligraphies & Drawings at Urdu Ghar, Hyderabad, Deccan, along with a small mural for the Urdu Ghar.
    • Mural of Earth Sciences in National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Deccan, Unveiling Ceremony.
    • Visited Varanasi. Executed a mural Quest for Reality for Banaras Hindu University.
    • Unveiling of the mural by Raja Sahab of Banaras at Bharat Kala Bhawan. B.H.U. Varanasi, India.
    • Exhibition of Calligraphies & Drawings, State Lalit Kala Academy, Lucknow, India.
    • Exhibition of Calligraphies at Ghalib Academy New Delhi in Ramazan Tradition.
    • Awarded: International Gold Mercury Award.
    • Executed a Five Story Circular Calligraphy based on Asma-e-Husna for the Indian Institute of Islamic Studies, New Delhi.


    • 1983, Composed some 1000 rubaiyyats.


    • 1984, Started writing biography.


    • 1985, Illustrated verses of Faiz Ahmed Faiz on the death of poet. Exhibition of calligraphies at Kuala Lampur. Calligraphed 99 Isma-e-Husna on marble panels and gifted to NIPA Karachi.


    • 1986, Exhibition of calligraphies at Bagh-e-Jinnah. Gifted 40 Marble penal of Sura-e-Rahman to the citizens of Karachi. Studio of Frere Hall. Started painting ceiling of the Frere hall (40' X 70')


    • Painted calligraphic mural for Faisal Masjid, Islamabad.


    • January 1987, Fell ill and admitted to hospital.


    • February 10, 1987, Expired. Buried at Sakhi Hasan Grave Yard Karachi.
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