ISLAMABAD - The new administration of Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) has started putting electronic bar-coding to the paintings first ever in the history of PNCA after two precious miniature paintings worth million of rupees were stolen, The Nation has learnt.
PNCA sources said that the stolen paintings were among most precious 18 paintings of the council. In 2007 during the shifting of PNCA belongings from F-7 to its current building two trucks loaded with paintings had gone missing.
According to the documents available to The Nation, a priceless painting of an Egyptian artist was lost from PNCA during the previous government. The PNCA administration after the incident prohibited its officials to take away paintings from the council's building without prior permission of the director general. The sources said that despite the clear instructions a deputy director with the help of some members of lower staff had taken away 25 paintings without informing the DG. However, the matter is being investigated.
The documents also revealed that 187 valuable paintings, prints and sculptures were recovered from the officials of Visual and Arts Department VAD of PNCA which were not included in the inventory submitted by the current in-charge of the department. The same document also revealed that 2200 books and portfolios were also discovered from the holdings of VAD, which were not included in the inventory submitted by the department head to DG PNCA. The several visual arts holding of PNCA also suffered serious damage during the tenure of current curator.
The source at PNCA informed this scribe that initial investigation in the matter showed that a director of VAD was involved in selling of two precious miniature paintings.
They said that the same person was involved in the incident of missing of two trucks of paintings during the shifting the PNCA belongings in 2007, which had proved in another inquiry held by the department after the incident.
They also said that the same director was also involved in selling the paintings of PNCA to different embassies at Islamabad at the prices as high as 10,000 US dollars but showed at official documents that they were sold at a meager price of 800 dollars.
Talking to The Nation, Acting DG PNCA Intikhab Ahmad admitted that two priceless paintings were stolen from the council's building and said that PNCA was trying to locate them and bring them back. He said that PNCA had initiated the work on putting electronic bar-coding on the available paintings and the inventories of all the record.
He said that no member of PNCA staff was allowed to take any painting to home without the permission of relevant director. He said that once electronic bar-coding was put on all the available paintings and records, it would become almost impossible for the people inside PNCA to steal thee paintings or other stuff.