Election 2024 brings boost to business of painters, artists community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PESHAWAR (APP): Besides printing and advertising industries, the 2024 general election has also brought boom to the business of painters and artists community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where they receive maximum capital.
Associated with painting business for the last 12 years, painter Shahzaib Ali (25) a resident of Nowshera wake early in the morning and continued work till late night to fulfill the heavy painting orders of politcal parties and election candidates besides their supporters in politically fertile Peshawar division.
“I have received plenty of orders from supporters of different political parties for painting the portraits of PMLN Quaid Muhammad Nawaz, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Awami National Party Aimal Wali Khan, JUIF Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others for election campaign 2024,” he said.
Inherited the painsticking business from his father, Shahzaib said that prices of portraits depend on the size and colours besides frames. The motivated painter said that he engaged two extra painters to fulfill the pressing demands of candidates.
Receiving booking orders from supporters and candidates of merged tribal districts to the tune of Rs5lac, he said that he prepares 40 to 50 paintings of politcal leaders per day.
He hoped that their business would be further shined as election become more nearer in the country especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Like Shahzaib, the painters, printers and advertisers of Mohallah Jahnagi, Peshawar have also received heavy orders from thousands of candidates and religio-political parties for election 2024 earning handsome profits.
The painters, advertisers and printers are busy like a honeybee in preparation of posters, advertisements, graphics designing, promotional cards, billboards, pana-flex for election 2024.
Printer Zardad Ali said, “These business shined enormously these days in Peshawar where he engaged six extra labourers, who worked till late night to meet demands of printing materials of the tickets holders and independent candidates,” adding the painters, printers and advertisers of Peshawar also received heavy orders from merged tribal districts and Attock district of Punjab province.
Ali said the closure of Charsadda and Mardan paper mills have made a negative impact on the printing business in Peshawar where prices of finished goods significantly increased due to transportation of election related papers from Punjab and electricity-cost.
“Painting is a pain-sticking business. The painters, printers and advertisers are sometimes overworked like presently in election days and often short of orders suffered financial losses during COVID-19 pandemic at Peshawar where approximately 40,000 people including 3,000 painters, printers, publishers and graphic designers are directly or indirectly associated with it.”
He claimed that printers and publishers having quality printing machines and skilled labourers received heavy orders to the tune of Rs five million and to receive more profit as election comes nearer.
Zafar Khan Khattak, President, All Printers, Painters and Publishers Association KP told APP that Peshawar based painters, printers and publishers started earning great profits in posters, designing, advertisements and party flags courtesy to 2024 General Election.
He said Peshawar’s printers and publishers mostly go to Lahore to repair major technical faults once developed in their machines, as most local mechanics lack expertise and thus face financial problems.”
He said it is a very costly practice and sometimes we have to pay up to Rs50,000 to Rs one lakh for its repair and maintenance including payment of transport charges, adding 3D printing and paper business would further shine once the general election comes closer.
He said priorities may be given to young entrepreneurs and young printers, painters and advertisers to promote printing and paper industries besides advertisement and fine art as a profession with great scope in employment generation for youth.
He said KP was geographically placed in a relatively disadvantageous location in terms of its long distance from Karachi seaport, and the KP exporters have to pay an extra amount compared to Punjab and Sindh provinces to transport raw election related materials here.
The experts said painting business could further flourish in Peshawar, if required expertise, quality manpower and a mechanism were provided to control prices of colours, papers and inflation.
They said that social media has negatively impacted the traditional painting business and hoped that the election 2024 would help improve such businesses in the country.
