KARACHI: A photographic exhibition titled ‘A 100-year history of Bhutto family in pictures’ organised by the People’s Youth Organisation opened at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park on Thursday evening. Photographer Agha Feroz is the spirit behind the show. Most of the pictures are either taken by him or are from his collection.

The exhibition has been set up in the domed pavilion of the park. According to Agha Feroz he has put up 4,000 pictures and 1,500 more could not be displayed due to lack of space. They cover 100 years, from 1910 to 2010, and in a way draw the life trajectory of the Bhutto family.

Both colour and black and white pictures adorn the giant walls of the hall. They depict the various phases of the family not exactly in chronological order, but the viewer can understand the placement of the series. For example, there is a very touching black and white picture, taken in 1931, of Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto holding his son Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The image next to it is of 12 years later when a teenaged Z. A. Bhutto was in school.

The same line of photographs has a lovely picture of Benazir Bhutto in her mother’s arm when she was just 20 days old. Similarly, pictures of the entire Bhutto family (Z. A. Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto with their children when they were students) in a way complete the sequence befittingly.

Then colour part of the exhibition seems more contemporary and most of the photographs have a familiar air about them. Benazir Bhutto’s married life, Asif Ali Zardari in meetings, their children etc all feature in the display. One poignant picture is of Benazir Bhutto outside the gate of Central Jail Karachi with Bilawal, Asifa and Bakhtawar. The photographer with a single click of the camera has captured a very important story in the political history of this country.

However, talking to Dawn Agha Feroz sounded quite disgruntled. “No PPP minister has visited the exhibition. No one has come to me to inquire about it. There was a time when they held me dear. I have countless precious photographs of the Bhutto family whom I love. Sadly, no one has turned up. They should understand that it is not merely a display, it’s the expression of passionate love that I have for the family (deewane ka ishq hai yeh).”

The exhibition will continue until Feb 10.