CELEBRATING THE ASIAN STUDY GROUP: 1973- 2026

OPENING EVENT: 2026/ 2027

Pakistani art today is not just about color and form. It’s about identity, change, resilience, and hope. From miniature traditions to large-scale installations, contemporary Pakistani art reflects both deep roots and dynamic change. Join us as we take a window into the themes, movements, and artists who are defining this vibrant chapter of our cultural landscape. Whether you are an art lover or simply curious... contemporary Pakistani art offers something for all of us — stories of home, migration, spirituality, and everyday life. .Art has always been how we tell the story of who we are…

Exploring how today’s artists are capturing the spirit of the country in powerful new ways, the presentation tonight offers a glimpse into the diverse and evolving landscape of art in Pakistan today, especially in paintings. Through the works of a selection of about 50 contemporary artists, it explores the varied ways in which artists respond to identity, society, culture, tradition, and the changing world around them...It aims to provide an engaging visual journey into the ideas, concerns and creative voices shaping contemporary Pakistani art.

Guest Presenter: Dr. Arjumand Faisel is a medical doctor with three post graduate degrees in public health from Pakistan and USA. He has had the opportunity of very close interactions with leading painters of Pakistan, which created his passionate involvement in the world of paintings. In March 2008, he established “Gallery6” in Islamabad. He has curated about 150 shows nationally and also in USA, India and Australia.

In 2015, he established the National Biennial ‘Arjumand Painting Award’ .He has recently authored an art book titled “Malka Aliya Laila: Paintings on Stories of Sex Workers in Pakistan”.

Dr. Arjumand continues to paint, but not as frequently as he desires because of his several commitments in the field of public health, education, social work and art!

Ever played Tambola? If not- this is your chance!

Listen carefully & mark quickly. No skill required… just luck and sharp eyes!

Food stalls to whet your appetite...an evening of music, fun, and social bonding!

Tambola, also known as "Housie" or "Bingo", has a history that spans nearly 500 years. It traces its roots back to 16th century Italy. The game was first played in 1530 as "Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia" — Italy’s national lottery. It was a weekly draw to raise funds for the government and for public works.

From Italy, the game traveled across Europe. In 18th century France, the French aristocracy modified it into a more social, indoor version played with cards and tokens. They called it "Le Lotto". It became a popular pastime in French drawing rooms.

The British later brought it to their colonies, including the Sub-continent. It became a staple at clubs, fairs, and family get-togethers. After independence, it found a special place in Sub-continent homes, ‘kitty’ parties, office parties, and community events.it was adapted to suit families and community gatherings. The name "Tambola" is believed to come from the Hindi word "Tambakoo" because early players used tobacco leaves as markers. Over time, people started using beans, corn, or paper chits — and today we have neat number boards and chips!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS- ASG END OF YEAR EVENT: 2025-2026!!

ALL OF YOU THAT CALL ISLAMABAD HOME… DO JOIN US IN THE CELEBRATIONS!

MUSIC, ENTERTAINMENT & HERITAGE

A SUMPTUOUS DINNER, PRIZES AND MORE…

COLOURS OF PAKISTAN- CREATING MEMORIES THAT WILL LINGER ON

Some evenings are not just mere events.Cities change. Time quietly moves on. But every once in a while, there comes an occasion that brings it all back-the fun element, the warmth and shared experiences…

-Setting the tone: Rawalpindi’s very own Jimmy- celebrated for his electrifying ‘Dhol’ beats- will perform before dinner, building energy and anticipation for the performances to follow!

-For a rich cultural experience- the renowned contemporary Babar Ali Qawwali group from Lahore- that has performed to enthusiastic audiences both Nationally and Internationally- will take center stage after dinner, bringing their own unique expertise to deliver powerful renditions of traditional Qawwalis!

• In Collaboration With Serena Hotel, Islamabad

Mark your Calendars!

Join us in celebrating Asian Study Group's 53 years in Islamabad!

Details of programme will be shared!

• In collaboration with Serena Hotel, Islamabad

PLAN AHEAD - MARK YOUR CALENDERS!

FOREIGNERS: NOC REQUIRED WELL IN TIME!

Step back in time as we trace the story of one of the Subcontinent’s oldest public companies — Murree Brewery Company Ltd.

Established in 1860 at Ghora Gali, Murree, the brewery was among Asia’s earliest modern enterprises. Its products became popular with British troops stationed in the hills, and over the years, the company expanded to Rawalpindi, Quetta, South India, and Ceylon, winning its first international medal for product excellence at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876.

Originally managed by the family of General Reginald Dyer, the company later came under the stewardship of the late Mr. Peshton Bhandara, and is now led by his grandson, Mr. Isphanyar Bhandara.

🏛️ The Gothic-style Ghora Gali Brewery building remained active until the 1940s. Though destroyed during the partition riots of 1947/48, its striking ruins are still visible today as you drive towards Murree, often serving as a backdrop for local films.

The Asian Study Group celebrates 1973- 2025!

Mark your calendars- an opportunity not to be missed!

Guests Welcome!

"The presentation is a photographic tribute to the Persian Empire as it existed... one of the world’s oldest civilizations that once stretched from the Aegean Sea to the shores of the River Indus.To begin the story of Persia, I went back 2,500 years to the 6th century before the Common Era, tracing the history of the region from the Achaemenid Empire onward.I spent some time in Iran and Uzbekistan to sift through the veneer of modernity and uncover the romance and the ethos of the era….”

Join us on a fascinating journey through ancient Persia with Dr. Iftikhar Salahuddin, who first familiarises himself by becoming a native and then an articulate Ambassador of similarities and commonalties of lives and cultures. Through historical insights, anecdotes- and his faithful camera- he captures and introduces us to the magnificence of this ancient kingdom- sites in Iran, Turkey and Central Asia- countries that depicted the lasting historical and cultural influence of the Persian Empire...

• Equally skilled as a photographer and a brilliant writer- Iftikhar Salahuddin’s survey of Persian history, culture and civilizations is a feat of strength. There may be others inspired to follow in his footsteps but they should be prepared to have his tenacity because as an old Persian proverb says… “There are no shortcuts to any place worth seeing”: Fakir S. Aijazuddin: Art Historian /Author
• Salahuddin carries inside his soul restlessness of a traveler and depth of a researcher.He doesn’t just take pictures, he talks to stones. They on their part tell him that they enjoy silence. So he captures them along with their silence with his camera. Our own art, architecture, culture and literature already carry the Persian stamp. Modern Iran and Central Asia is rooted in the Persian chronicle’ : Zehra Nigah- Poet/ Author

Awards:

· ‘Persia: the Land of Emperors and Kings’: The International Festival of Cultural Research, Iran.

· ‘Jerusalem – A Journey Back in Time’:The Karachi Literature Festival Peace Prize.

Guest Presenter Dr. Iftikhar Salahuddin is a renowned ENT Specialist in his professional capacity. Based on his frequent travels to far-flung corners of the world, he has delivered lectures both in Pakistan and abroad on diverse topics related to his favourite domain: Ancient Religions, Persian civilisation, Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire, Muslim Spain, China, and many more. He has authored ‘If Stones Could Speak,’ based on his photography of 60 destinations in countries throughout the world and ‘Jerusalem – A Journey Back in Time,’ which was also presented by the ASG in Islamabad ,some years ago.

• In collaboration with Serena Hotel, Islamabad

MARK YOUR CALENDARS…JOIN US FOR THE ASG END OF YEAR: 2024-2025 CELEBRATIONS!

A TRULY MEMORABLE EVENING!

· DANCE PERFORMANCE

· IN CONCERT: ROCKLITE-THE BAND

· SUMPTUOUS DINNER, PRIZES AND MORE!

DETAILS TO FOLLOW!

For further information contact: ASG Office : (11 am-2 pm only)Tues &Wed: 0343 5127861, Thurs to Sat: 051 2802343, e-mail: asianstudyg@gmail.com

A multi- media presentation

From the late 19th century, postcards became a popular - even fashionable - form of communication. Traditional letter writing, while it had the advantage of confidentiality, gradually gave way to the shorter, pithy message which could be scribbled on a postcard. In time, postal services universally standardized the format and by reducing rates made the use of postcards affordable. Initially, Germany led the field in the manufacture of postcards, until the First World War of 1914-18, after which British and local presses filled the vacuum. The introduction of images on the reverse of postcards enhanced their appeal and, in a sense, supplemented visually the content of the message. Topographical views, buildings of interest, topical events, ethnic types, and social subjects became increasingly popular…

Overtaken today by instant electronic communications, postcards have lost their appeal. However, they have become of increasing interest to collectors and historians as a pictorial record of the recent past. The postcards presented in this volume illustrate provincial capitals – Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta – as well as prominent cities and areas in each province of pre-Pakistan, as they existed before 1947. They provide a second life to largely forgotten images of a pre-Pakistan past.

Guest Presenter: Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, OBE, FCA, is one of Pakistan’s leading art-historians. His earlier works have focused on paintings, watercolours, lithographs, and early photographs.

He has published 23 titles on such diverse subjects as Pahari miniature painting, Sikh portraiture, lithographs by British artists, the work of the 19th c. Hungarian painter August Schoefft, the travels of Charlotte, Lady Canning from Kolkata to the Khyber Pass between 1858-61, U.S.-Pakistan relations 1969-74, cartography, and on Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971.His latest book Forgotten Images: Postcards of Pre-Pakistan, 1890-1947 has been released recently.

In Conversation...

By harnessing the power of culture and art, countries can build bridges, foster cooperation and promote peace and understanding in an increasingly interconnected world. These intangible ambassadors of national identity have long been recognized as essential components, playing a vital role in shaping international relations and diplomacy...

Drawing on her own vast experience, Dr. Maliha Lodhi -in conversation with Dr. Dushka Saiyid- will discuss the role of soft power in diplomacy and how a country can use culture, art and other sources of persuasive attraction to further foreign policy goals.

• Dr Maleeha Lodhi has served as Pakistan’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. She twice served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US (1993 – 1996, 1999 – 2002) and as High Commissioner to Britain (2003 – 2008). She also served as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Affairs from 2001 to 2005. In 1994 Time magazine nominated her as one of a hundred people in the world who will help shape the 21st century. She is the recipient of the President’s award of Hilal-e-Imtiaz for Public Service in Pakistan. The author of two books: ‘Pakistan’s Encounter with Democracy’ and ‘The External Challenge’ she has also edited two books ‘Pakistan: Beyond the Crisis State’ and 'Pakistan's Search for Stability’. An Urdu translation of a collection of her columns was also published as a book recently titled ' Pakistan: Between crisis and hope’.
• Dr. Dushka H. Saiyid received her Doctorate degree from Columbia University New York in South Asian History. She has served as Professor and Chairperson, Department of History, Quaid-i-Azam University, The author of two books ‘Muslim Women of the British Punjab: From Seclusion to Politics’ and ‘Exporting Communism to India, Why Moscow Failed’, she has published numerous research articles in national and international academic journals . She is the editor of Youlin/Good Neighbours (a monthly cultural magazine) and www.youlinmagazine.com (a bilingual Chinese/English website).
• In collaboration with Serena Hotel, Islamabad

Subtitled: English

Looking for an escape, a clown dances outside a fast- food restaurant on the streets of Lahore, that is until the claws of reality threaten to pull it's mask off...‘The Clown’ (2024) a Pakistani Short Film won the Satyajit Ray Award for Best Short Film at the London Indian Film Festival 2024.

Written and directed by Kamil Chima, the film is a pacy exploration of the life of a clown on the streets of Lahore, and an ode to those that remain hidden in plain sight. He has previously produced ‘Laal Kabootar' (2019)- Pakistan's official selection for the Academy Awards 2020- and 'The Queen of My Dreams' in (2023). The film is the acting debut for Coke Studio starrer Farheen Raza Jaffry. The cast includes debutant Muhammad Saeed Cheema, Sheherzade Peerzada and Adeel Afzal. It is produced by Mahnoor Zaidi and Jaber Hussain.

This will also be an opportunity to meet the Director and some of the cast members!

Kamil cheema is a producer, writer and director. An alum of the IFFR Producers Lab 2023 and the Producers Network at the Marche Du Film de Cannes 2023, he has set up Nehr Ghar films, a film production company based out of Pakistan. 'The Clown' (2024) is Kamils directorial debut short film.

• In collaboration with Alliance Francais d' Islamabad