RAWALPINDI, Oct 9: Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) on Tuesday opened its doors for an unusual guest from Islamabad police to exhibit his paintings on ‘violence against women’.

Mehmood Ahmed, head constable of Islamabad Police, picked up his brush to highlight the sufferings of women in this male dominated society. Media and civil society have been highlighting different forms of violence against women but the policeman, being witness to many such incidents, used this medium for the first time.

Mr Ahmed put on display a total of 30 art pieces of different sizes, using oil paint as medium. The first ever exhibition of Mehmood Ahmed got positive response due to unique subject and technique. Bright colours and textures made the canvas attractive.

“I tried to present the sufferings of women. The women are human being but they are treated as commodities. She gives all the good things to the society but in return does not get respect,” said Mehmood Ahmed while talking to Dawn.

Mehmood Ahmed, is a head constable in Islamabad police presently posted at special branch, said that he had been painting whatever he saw in his routine life since 1992.

He said when most of the painters in the twin cities of Rawalpindi-Islamabad refused to teach hi art he decided to learn it on his own and present his work before the world, he said.

The self-taught artist said that during night duties, the other policemen shared stories of violence against women. “I used my canvas to narrate the story of a postgraduate woman who was killed by her brother for refusing to marry a simple matric,” he said.

After the inaugural ceremony, PML-N MNA Tahira Aurangzeb said that violence against women was a fundamental violation of human rights and one of the worst forms of discrimination against women.

She congratulated the artist for highlighting the issues of violence against women. Mahmood Ahmed paid gratitude to the administration of Rawalpindi Arts Council for providing plate form for holding his maiden exhibition.

The exhibition will remain opened for general public till October 13.