Fatima Bhutto, her artist brother Zulfikar Ali Bhutto junior, and lawyer Menaal Munshey have launched Indus Relief 2022 — an “immediate relief initiative” to help victims of the catastrophic flooding across Pakistan.
The initiative has taken writers, filmmakers, artists, and organisations on board to auction and offer masterclasses, signed books, and tickets to high-profile events globally, while the money raised through these funds will be shared with organisations working to ensure relief on the ground.
Jemima Khan, producer and former prime minister Imran Khan ex-wife, has also offered to auction tickets to the private screening of her movie, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” which will be held in January 2023.
“One lucky winner and 20 of their friends will have a private screening of What’s Love Got To Do With It?” the website’s auction page reads.
Tickets to Rupi Kaur’s World Tour for a meet and greet with fans is also included in the list of featured items on the fund’s website.
“The winner will have the opportunity to see Rupi Kaur live in London on September 19,” the Indus Relief’s website states.
A writing masterclass by novelist Mohsin Hamid was also held on Friday, where “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” writer gave tips on writing. Enrolment to the masterclass helped the fund raise approximately £5,254 which makes up over Rs1.3 million.
British-Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie is next up to offer her masterclass.
Signed copies of Indian writer Pankaj Mishra’s two novels The Romantics and From The Ruins of Empire, and Fatima Bhutto’s The Runaways are already sold out, while Misha Japanwala’s original drawing is also on sale for £1,050.
Zulfikar has also put up his wearable art in the form of cotton T-shirts. The clothing features his original cyanotype art depicting the Indus River dolphin and original photographs of historical places in Sukkur.
The recent devastating floods in Pakistan have affected 33 million people and have claimed the lives of over 1,200 across its provinces.
The UN has also jointly launched a flash appeal for $160 million to help Pakistan cope with the flood devastation that has inflicted a $10bn loss on the country’s economy.
