For centuries, art has been a way of telling stories of struggle and pain. For Khadim Ali, art was a way of telling the world his story and also highlighting a global crisis. Born and raised in Quetta, Khadim belonged to the ethnic Hazara minority and felt unwelcome in his own hometown. Hazaras were continuously discriminated against for being part of the Muhajir community, as they originally hail from Afghanistan. Sectarian violence forced large groups of Hazaras to flee Afghanistan and come to Pakistan, from where sectarian violence is now forcing them to seek asylum in countries like Australia and Canada. Khadim is amongst those of who have left Pakistan and who continue to redefine what “home” means to them.
Khadim uses his work to portray his roots and the struggle of migration. Displacement is the central theme in both his life and his art work. He is 39 years old and has lived in Quetta, Lahore, Karachi, Toronto, Tokyo, Tehran, London and Sydney. However, rather than adopting the new cultures he moved into, Khadim chose to trace back and connect with his Hazara roots. “I am a Pakistani with Afghan decent. My great grandfather migrated to India before the partation of Pakistan and India. And I went back to trace the root of Hazaras after finding that why Hazaras are on constant target of terror in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Khadim tells me in our exchange over email. The miniature art in the famous Persian epic Shahnama led Khadim to develop a strong interest in miniature painting, which made him visit Tehran in 2006 to learn miniature art but he was discriminated against on two accounts- being an Afghan and being a Pakistani. “When I found out NCA in Lahore is offering a specialization in miniature art, I decided to apply and got in. I had already done my BFA from NCA in 2003,”Khadim writes.
From there on, there was nothing that could stop Khadim. His phenomenal artwork led him to his art residency in Japan and be featured in prominent museums in Germany, Netherlands, England and Australia. Eventually, he got a distinguished talent visa from Australia and moved there. However, he believes one has to stay in one place from there they would grow. “Just like displacement doesn't let a plant/tree to grow root in area, it does the same with human too. Hazaras are losing their culture, language, tradition, and heritage,” he writes.
Hazaras have little acceptance in both their birthplaces; neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan is safe for them. Large groups of Hazaras have found refuge in Europe, Canada and Australia. In Pakistan, Afghan refugees have lived a difficult life. PoR card holders do not enjoy any benefits either, as the card is just for identity. They cannot buy land or make bank accounts. They do not have social acceptance by the Pakistani community either. Khadim urges such groups to find a different place to stay, but keep connected to their roots and try to preserve their heritage. “My message to refugees is to keep finding a permanent station, so their next generation will find their way to grow,” he writes.
