KARACHI: The Arts Council of Pakistan’s fine art committee paid a heart-warming tribute to eminent painter Akram Spaul, who is known for his exceptional super-realistic work, by arranging an event at its Josh Malihabadi Library on Saturday evening.

The programme, moderated by artist Farrukh Shahab, began with a video highlighting the works of Mr Spaul along with a couple of interviews. It was followed by a panel discussion in which Sabiha Nasruddin, Rumana Husain, Noorjehan Bilgrami and Shaji Kazmi took part. But it was the simple, from-the-heart speech by Mr Spaul himself that was the highlight of the evening.

Mr Spaul said he came from Punjab to Karachi in the late 1960s and was told by a friend that there’s an art institution at the Arts Council. In order to get admission to the institute, he took a test and passed it. Subsequently, he joined the field of advertisements since he had his degree in design. “[The late artist] Imran Mir at the time was offered a job at the Herald Publications. When he started working for the publication, he came to me and said I should also join the same organisation. Imran was a friend of mine and was fond of me. I asked the advertising company to let me go. They did. So I, too, began working for the Herald. I was an illustrator there.

“One day Imran, after looking at my work, said to me, ‘Why don’t you paint?’ I replied, I don’t paint. He replied, if I painted, I’d do a great job. I asked him about the things required to make a painting. He told me what to get. After a bit of dithering, and getting the required material, I asked him what to paint [subject matter]. He answered, whatever I felt like. Then I made a painting from a magazine picture. I brought it to the office. Imran liked it. I kept that artwork in the office. In those days, writer and painter Anwar Maqsood used to work for the Hurriyet. He came to our office and saw the artwork. He asked who had made it. I was sitting nearby, and Imran gestured towards me that I (Spaul) had made it. Maqsood liked the painting and encouraged me a lot.”

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026