Tamgha-e-Imtiaz recipient wants KP govt to revive & promote copper art

PESHAWAR: A known artisan from the walled city of Peshawar, Khwaja Safar Ali, who has been decorated with the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz award in recognition of his services, wants the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to revive and promote the copper art.

Born in 1946 at Mohalla Marveha in a family of artisans, Khwaja Safar Ali started taking interest in artwork at the age of six when he was a school child.

Though he continued his education and did his masters in Persian from the University of Peshawar, he used to sit with his father Khwaja Abdul Wahid while making decoration pieces of copper.

His father passed away when he was just 14 but he continued artwork under the supervision of his elder brother Khwaja Akhtar Ali, who himself was a known artisan and was decorated with Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1979 and with Pride of Performance award in 1986.

It was in 1990 when Khwaja Akhtar Ali left this world and Khwaja Safar Ali had to inherit the business the family had started in 1860 at famous Bazaar-e-Misgaraan.

Initially, the business was started at a workshop and a showroom was opened at a rented shop at Bazaar-e-Misgaraan, the business was at peak till 2007.

However, like other businesses the artwork of Safar Ali also badly suffered due to militancy.

Talking to The News, Khwaja Safar Ali said that militancy affected his art as customers especially the number of foreigners reduced with the passage of time forcing him to abandon the copper art.

However, he said he used to display his art pieces at exhibitions in different cities of the country including Karachi, Quetta, Multan and Lok Virsa Islamabad.

He said his family remained affiliated with artwork for over 150 years. Many a dignitaries visited their shop while his father and brother had gifted the copper art pieces to many dignitaries including former Vice President of the United States, Rockefeller, Queen Elizabeth, King Shah Faisal, Shah Hussein of Jordon, Angelina Jolie, Raza Shah Pahlavi and queen of Iran, Prince Akihito of Japan and Lebanese prime minister at Governor’s House Peshawar, besides presidents and prime ministers of Pakistan.

Disappointed with the provincial government, he said there were no incentives for artisans in the province.

“The government has done nothing for revival and promotion of copper art,” he complained, adding the artisan village established at Gore Khatri where he used to train artists has also been closed.

Khwaja Safar Ali said Lok Virsa Islamabad had recommended his name for the award. He said he was proud of the art his family was affiliated with for over one and a half century.