ISLAMABAD – The book – ’Malka Aliya Laila: Paintings on Stories of Sex Workers’ – in Pakistan was launched at The Black Hole, Islamabad, on Friday evening. Organised by ‘Gallery 6’ in collaboration with the ‘East-West Center Association–Islamabad Chapter’, the event drew artists, academics, writers, and students eager to witness the unusual intersection of art, public health, and the lived realities of women on society’s margins. The programme was moderated by senior journalist and Secretary General of EWCA-IC, Faiz Muhammad Paracha, who introduced the author and artist Dr Arjumand Faisel. He described Faisel as “a man who has lived many lives in one,” recalling his journey from journalism and broadcasting to medicine, public health, and eventually art. Faisel is the founder of Gallery 6, one of Islamabad’s largest private art spaces, and the initiator of the Arjumand Painting Award. The book features expressionist paintings based on true stories Faisel encountered while conducting field work on HIV/AIDS in the early 2000s. Commissioned by the Ministry of Health with World Bank support, he had to map sex workers across cities and interview them for the national AIDS Control Programme. ‘What I saw, heard and felt was unbearable,’ Faisel recalled. ‘These were not just data points, but human experiences etched into memory. Through painting, I found a way to process and share them.’ Art critic Cosima Brand, speaking at the launch, described the work as ‘art that speaks directly to the soul,’ adding that the paintings humanise sex workers by capturing their resilience, sorrow, and dignity beyond the conventional gaze of art. A multimedia presentation of selected works was also shown, followed by a discussion on the ethical and artistic dimensions of portraying marginalised women. Participants noted that the conversation itself was rare in Pakistan’s public sphere, where sex work is often hidden and stigmatised. By the end of the evening, the consensus was clear: Malka Aliya Laila is more than a book. It is an artistic and humanitarian statement — bridging medicine, research, and art to give voice and dignity to women too often silenced in society. The book is available internationally, including on Amazon.
