Pictured here is Hal Petman, the official painter of the Pakistan Army. He was commissioned to paint many military commandants and battle scenes and war heroes awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, most of which are held in private collections or housed in the Pakistan Army’s educational institutes, messes and regimental headquarters. These images of him, his portrait of Ayub Khan and Subedar Khudadad Khan hang in the Petman cafe in the newly renovated Artillery Mess in Rawalpindi. Petman was born in Gloucestershire, England on 28 October 1894, to an Anglo Indian family which included prominent lawyers and judges who served at various eminent positions during the British Raj. He received his early education from Clifton College, Bristol from 1908 to 1910 where he got the chance to play cricket at Lord's against Tonbridge. He graduated from the Slade School of Art in 1917. As a young artist in 1920s London, he painted models with his trademark long necks that came to be known as “The Petman Girls”. He made his early career in British India during which period he painted many lands.
After partition, he moved to Pakistan where he lived in Rawalpindi Club (now Artillery Mess) at a cottage with his wife Beryl. During his time here he had the chance to paint almost every noticeable person, ranging from Mohammad Ali Jinnah, to presidents such as Ayub Khan and General Yahya.
He was laid to rest at the Christian graveyard behind his wife.