Vandalised murals on Karachi Press Club walls restored

The murals on the Karachi Press Club walls have been restored paying homage to several progressive civil society activists, just two days after it was vandalised by members of Pakistan's politico-religious parties.
A team of Phool Patti Pakistan's Truck Art Team led by cartoonist Feica restored the murals to their original shape.
The vandals spray painted threatening messages on the murals of nearly all women activists featured on the walls and also called for death for the son of slain Punjab Governor Salman Taseer for speaking against the Blasphemy law.
A group of artisans had painted the murals last October.

The vandals had spray painted the initials of politico- religious parties Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Tehreek-i-Labbaik but both parties have denied their involvement.
The vandalisation of the wall murals highlights the clear divide in Pakistani society between religious extremists and liberals/moderates.

The English daily 'Dawn' wrote in an editorial today that if ever an image was emblematic of Pakistan's progress in the war against extremism-and indeed of the fissures in its society-it is the viciously defaced Karachi Press Club walls.
On the mural paying homage to Yasmeen Lari, a prominent architect, historian and humanitarian aid worker, the vandals spray painted calls for executing Asia Bibi, currently on death row as a blasphemy accused in bold black paint.

The vandalisation took place on the day civil society activists and moderates paid tributes to Taseer who was gunned down by his security guard in Islamabad in 2011 for his vocal opposition to the blasphemy law and for speaking in favor of minorities rights.
His son Shaan Taseer had few days back repeated his father's stance on the blasphemy law, and has been criticised heavily by the religious right for his views.
The vandals also spray painted demands in black spray calling for the immediate arrest and hanging of Shaan.