Exhibit highlights Indian atrocities in Kashmir

Event was organised to mark Black Day, express solidarity with people living under occupation

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab Council of the Arts, Rawalpindi organised a photographic exhibition to highlight egregious human rights abuses by the occupation forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The show was organised to mark Black Day and to express solidarity with the Kashmiris living under occupation for decades.

At the inaugural ceremony, Arts Council Director Waqar Ahmad along with Assistant Director Muhammad Suleman, were invited as the chief guests.

Ahmed said the suffering in Occupied Kashmir deeply affects Pakistan, illustrating the inseparable connection between the two. He decried the suppression of freedom of expression by India in Occupied Kashmir, leading to tragic consequences, including the loss of journalists’ lives.

Ahmad added that India has restricted land for Kashmiris in the valley, violating the Geneva Convention and United Nations Security Council resolutions in the process. He also noted that the Punjab Arts Council consistently portrays an accurate depiction of Occupied Kashmir to the global audience.

Read: Senate condemns Kashmir brutalities

Similarly, PAC Assistant Director Muhammad Suleman said, 76 years ago, India unlawfully occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He emphasised that India’s actions, regarded as the darkest chapter in history, will eventually be overcome by the pursuit of freedom. Suleman also highlighted that Kashmir remains an unresolved aspect of India’s partition.

He further said the Indian Army is involved in the genocide of Kashmiris in the occupied valley. The international community’s lack of response to human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir is a matter of significant concern he said adding that despite more than seven decades, the United Nations has yet to enforce Security Council resolutions related to the region.

In addition to a photo exhibition and documentaries unveiling Indian atrocities on the civilians of Occupied Kashmir, a protest walk was held to express solidarity.

Moreover, a tableau competition and a speech competition was also held. A considerable number of students from nearby cities took part in these competitions.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2023.