Pakistani Cartoonists

Violent protests have taken place in Pakistan and across the world in response to the depiction of the Prophet Mohammad by the French Satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The authorities had to used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the demonstration, near the French consulate in Karachi. And Pakistani photographer for AFP was wounded.

But Pakistan too has a rich history of political cartoons.

Khaliq Khan is busy in making a cartoon looming petrol crisis.

His work is published in the country’s leading Urdu -language paper, the Jang.

“There are numerous issues all over the world to draw about. There is corruption, inflation and poverty that should be highlighted,” said Khan

Khan says he was taught in his Islam school that drawing humans was wrong but it didn’t stop him from drawing cartoons from a young age.

He has been a professional cartoonist for twenty years now and won the best cartoonist award in Pakistan three times.

“I do not touch religion though. It’s a very serious issue.  All religions should be respectable and they cannot be ridiculed in cartoons,” said Khan.

Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws that carry the death penalty.

In November last year a Christian couple was tortured and burnt to death in a brick kiln after they were accused of blaspheming the Prophet Muhammad.

The country has a history of such killings.

Despite being careful Khan has been attacked when he draw a satire cartoon about a prominent religious figure shutting down music shops.

“Last year the activists of a largest religious group besieged my house for two days because they did not like the caricature of their leader”

He says the religious leader’s brother continued to harassment about his work.

Rafique Ahmed or Fieca is another well-know cartoonist who draws for the leading English paper the Dawn.

His latest cartoon shows Charlie Hebdo throwing a boomerang that then flies back at him.

Fieca believes it was wrong for them to connect violence to the Prophet Muhammad.

“There is hardly an illustrative or paintings tradition in Islam. In Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures the outfits are like these terrorists, I think these are not representatives of Islam.”

But Fieca says he is not afraid to draw terrorist or militant groups such as the Pakistani Taliban.

“I know what to draw and what not to draw, how to draw. I preferably choose human issues like the petrol shortage, gas, inflation, education. Of course drawing about terrorists is again a human issue. And I must draw these terrorists,” said Fieca.

There is no trade union that represents cartoonists in Pakistan.

Despite working for twenty years as Pakistan’s best cartoonist Khaliq Khan still earns $ 500 US a month.

“Cartoons drawing is not a lucrative job. No new youngsters are coming forward to join this profession. But, we are determined to continue our jobs and one reason is that we cannot switch our profession at this age.”