Tuesday, May 20, 2008


Renowned artist Iqbal Mehdi passed away in Rawalpindi on Monday 19th May after suffering from heart and liver diseases. His body was shifted from Rawalpindi to Karachi .

Mehdi belonged to Amroha, also the native place of John Eilia and Sadiqqeen. He migrated from Amroha in 1958 and later called his brother to Pakistan. His parents stayed behind in India. Mehdi faced hardships in the beginning because of meager resources. He joined Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Sabt Hasan’s magazine, “Lail wo Nehar,” and with the passage of time started winning appreciation for his paintings.“Iqbal Mehdi was not only my friend but my brother. He lived with me in my home and I, myself, settled the arrangements of his marriage. He did illustrations for my magazine, “Sab Rang,” and no amount was fixed between us. He remained with “Sab Rang” till 1974. He was a great man and we both saw the ups and downs of life together from his homes in Kharadar and North Nazimabad. He got married in 1970,” said Mehdi’s close friend, Shakeel Adilzada.

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