An unbearably ugly end for the creator of beauty

By Faraz Khan and Shahzad Shah Jillani

KARACHI: For someone who created some of the most beautiful art Pakistan has shown the world, murder was the ugliest way to go. And it was thus that 81-year-old Ismail Gulgee, famous for his flourishing and colourful depictions of Allah’s name, was found along with his wife Zareen, 65, and maid Aasia, 45, Wednesday. They had been dead for at least three days.

Capital City Police Office Azhar Ali Farooqi confirmed that it was an act of murder but it was too early to point fingers at any one. While talking to the media at the house, Farooqui said that three servants were missing along with Gulgee’s Toyota Corolla.

After a few days without contact, one of Gulgee’s sisters, Safia or Fehmida (Fehmy), told his son Amin, 41, to go and check on his parents, as they were not picking up their phones. Amin, himself an internationally acclaimed sculptor, lived in a separate portion of the same house located opposite Bar-B-Que Tonight restaurant at Bilawal Chowrangi in Clifton.

Mrs Gulgee was found in the kitchen with her legs and arms tied, maid Aasia in a storeroom next door with what appeared to be a head injury and Gulgee himself in his studio. Edhi ambulance driver Qasim, who took the bodies to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, told Daily Times that there had been some sort of slippery substance where Aasia and Zareen were found. There was initial speculation that the women were killed with a blow to the head and Gulgee was hanged to death. According to a JPMC source, he was discovered with his face covered by a cloth.

One of the domestic staffers, Anthony, said that Gulgee’s assistant Nafees who had worked with him for 25 years, had been coming to the house for the past three days. But as the gate was locked and the car was parked inside, he did not disturb the artist, who had instructed him that he didn’t like to be bothered when he was working.

Maid Aasia’s son, Tayyib, said that she had been working there for three months. She was a resident of Masaan Road, Keamari and had three children. According to Tayyib, she hadn’t come home since Friday but when he went to see her, the watchman had said she had gone to Larkana and would be back in a few days.

According to a close associate, insisting anonymity, there had allegedly been a dispute over the distribution of property within the family. Gulgee had reportedly issued a will and testament recently bequeathing his property to a charity. Apparently, the artist had taken his wife into confidence.

Sister Fehmida, while talking to family friends present at the house, said that a few days back Gulgee had taken her and Safia (who had come from Canada) for dinner at the Boat Club. He had appeared normal and nothing seemed to be out of place. They had talked, ate dinner and had a good time. He had, apparently, asked them if anything was troubling them and if they needed anything.

Boat Basin SPO Javed Iqbal Bhatti said that the police believed that so far it appeared to be a domestic issue. It was not a robbery because there was nothing missing from the house. Bhatti also said that Gulgee had some of his servants arrested a few years ago because he suspected that they were stealing from him.

Family and friends gathered to condole, including former minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, social worker Imran Hussain, designer Deepak Perwani, Rizwan Beyg, Amina Shah.

The couple had two children; their daughter lives in the US.

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Gulgee’s car found, Amin lodges FIR
Staff Report

KARACHI: The missing car belonging to murdered artist Ismail Gulgee was found abandoned in Khadda Market near Gizri but aside from this there have been no developments in the case.

In the meanwhile, the funerals took place and Gulgee's son Amin registered an FIR (No. 290/2007) with the Boat Basin police into the triple murder of his parents and their maid Aasia under Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The investigation team is headed by DIG Investigations Manzur Mughal, but all he could offer was that the police were looking for the missing servants.

"Although the investigation is underway, but there is no encouraging development so far that can enable us to catch the culprits," said SSP Niaz Khoso while speaking to PPI on Thursday.

The post-mortem report had suggested that the deaths were caused by suffocation, and a cloth was used.

Inspector General Police Ziaul Hasan has formed a six-member investigation team headed by DIG Investigation Manzoor Mughal. He said that that the police had started intensive search of Gulgee's servants who were missing.

"The missing servants include a driver who had run away with the car, a servant and two guards but their names cannot be disclosed in the initial stages of our investigation." The car was found abandoned in the Khadda Market area. The police has sent the finger prints from this car for a lab test to find out who was driving it.

The back of Gulgee's head has two injuries, while both women were hit thrice. It is also being suspected that the three were strangled. The police has taken fingerprints from the crime scene but the actual manner in which they were murdered will become known once the post-mortem reports are ready.

According to the Boat Basin Police, all items inside the house were found in their place. A newspaper dated December 14 was found on the side table inside Gulgee's bedroom. It was lying there folded and it seemed as though it had not even been read. Nobody had searched for Aasia before December 15 because her family did not know the way to Gulgee's residence. Once they got directions they went to Amin's portion of the house, they questioned the gate keeper who told them that the entire family had gone to Nawabshah.

Since the gate keeper lied, the police has included them in their circle of investigation.

Aasia was a Katchhi and a resident of Keamari and would come to the house between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. every morning. She had come to the house at her usual time on the day of the murder and was busy in the kitchen which suggests that the murder occurred after 9:00 a.m.

The funeral prayers of Gulgee and his wife, Zareen, were offered in Kharadar Jamatkhana on Thursday afternoon and they were buried in Mewashah Graveyard. Amin Gulgee, close friends of the family, and celebrities attended.