Rohtas Gallery, now known as Rohtas Gallery 1 Islamabad, was founded in 1981 by Naeem Pasha, Suhail Abbasi & Salima Hashmi in Rawalpindi / Islamabad.

Interestingly the vision of a space to showcase art without subjectivity came not as a commercial project but in response to the policies of the repressive Zia era, which had the paintings of some major artists removed from a national exhibition as they did not conform to the policies of the regime.

In 2001, Salima Hashmi branched out a gallery in Lahore, initially by the name of ‘Art Shart’ which later became known as Rohtas Gallery 2, Lahore.

Rohtas Galleries are one of the oldest and leading venues for Art Exhibitions in Pakistan. Together, Rohtas Gallery 1 and Rohtas Gallery 2, aspire to familiarize the public, with social and artistic concerns which motivate artists today.