AP PHOTOS: Pakistani truck art elevates heavy transport into mobile masterpieces

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — Trucks thunder along Pakistan’s dusty highways and through bustling city streets, like rolling canvases ablaze with color and poetry, transforming heavy transport into mobile masterpieces and offering a window into the country’s folk culture.

The roots of Pakistani truck art go back to British colonial rule, when owners began adorning their vehicles with intricate floral patterns, calligraphy, and cultural motifs.

What started as modest embellishments has evolved into artistry. Painters, welders, electricians, and metalworkers collaborate to elevate commercial trucks into personalized symbols of pride and regional identity.

There are camel bone inlays in Balochistan, intricate wood carvings in Peshawar, and disco-inspired detail in Rawalpindi.

Muhammad Ashfaq, a 55-year-old from Rawalpindi, has been painting trucks for over four decades.

“Each client comes with their own vision and budget,” said Ashfaq. “We ask which style they prefer: Peshawar, Hazara, Swat, Pindi, Mandi Bahauddin, or Karachi.”

Pindi style is considered the most flamboyant, characterized by vivid colors, elaborate stickers, mirror work, and dense layering of design elements.

“Pindi style is like a bride getting ready for her wedding,” says Farrukh Sana, a truck driver who recently upgraded his vehicle with the vibrant design. “We feel happy when people admire our truck. It’s a symbol of hard work and beauty.”

Styles vary according to cost and components, as well as color and complexity.

A full refurbishment of a truck can cost between 2 to 5 million rupees (about $7,000 to $17,790), depending on the materials used and if major elements like the tires and the chassis are replaced.

But, beyond mere decoration, the trucks also bear poetry, religious messages, and personal slogans, reflecting the aspirations, humor, and emotions of their drivers.

Truck art has transcended cargo vehicles, finding its way onto rickshaws, buses, and even household decor.

It first caught global attention in the 1970s, when foreign tourists started photographing the unusually bright vehicles. Since then, truck art has inspired international exhibitions and influenced contemporary fashion and product design.

The distinctly South Asian tradition endures despite Pakistan’s economic hardships. Artisans like Ashfaq remain devoted to the craft, while drivers like Sana view their trucks as more than a livelihood. They are seen as roving cultural ambassadors.

“Every driver dreams of making his truck look unique,” Sana says with pride. “When we drive it out and people turn their heads, we know we’ve created something special.”

Trucks decorated with artwork are parked at a terminal on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Trucks decorated with artwork drive along a highway on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A truck waits for refurbishment at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A welder repairs a truck parked at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Various household decorative items painted in truck art patterns are displayed for sale at a shop in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A vendor displays metal pieces painted in the style of traditional art used to decorate trucks at a shop in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan makes traditional patterns with colorful stickers used to decorate trucks at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan makes traditional patterns with colorful stickers used to decorate trucks at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan inspects the results after applying colorful stickers with traditional patterns on a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Artisan Muhammad Ashfaq, 55, sits for a portrait at his workshop in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan mixes colors as he paints art on a truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan paints art on a truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An artisan paints birds on a truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Driver Farrukh Sana looks out from the window of a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A worker gives the final touches to a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A worker affixes decorated metal pieces on a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A worker affixes metal pieces painted in various patterns on a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Driver Farrukh Sana checks items inside the cabin of a newly refurbished truck painted with traditional artwork at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Decorated metal pieces are mounted on the front of a newly refurbished truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A worker fixes the side mirror of a newly refurbished decorated truck at a yard for workshops in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The former police officer was set to be buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since his November detention on what his family said were politically motivated accusations. Hours ahead of the ceremony, his children, neighbors, police officers, friends and dozens others gathered to pay their respects.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack on Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. His death comes as scores of families like his — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are now coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners.”

Alfredo Romero, director of the organization Foro Penal, a non-governmental organization that tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, said the group has received a “flood of messages” since last week from families.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly said last week that a “significant number" of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace.”

Romero explained that of the roughly 300 families who reached out, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military.

As of Tuesday morning, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of 55 prisoners. While Venezuela's government reported a higher figure of 116, it did not identify them, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed. He did not live long enough to walk free.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside an international airport in Rome Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died," he said.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)