ISLAMABAD: A two-day exhibition of the pictorial book Kashmir: Wait and See by European photojournalist Cédric Gerbehaye was held in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The exhibition, organised at the Prime Minister’s House, was inaugurated by AJK Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.
The book’s author, Cédric Gerbehaye, and Chairman of the Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) Ali Raza Syed — who is also organiser of the book’s introductory and promotional events in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir — were present at the ceremony.
Prime Minister Rathore praised the publication and appreciated the efforts of Mr Gerbehaye and Mr Syed and his team in promoting the project. He expressed hope that the book and its photographic exhibition would help highlight the rights of Kashmiris and bring attention to the Kashmir issue.
Former AJK prime minister Raja Farooq Haider also visited the exhibition and met with the author and organisers. Mr Gerbehaye, Mr Syed, other organisers, and members of the European delegation also called on Acting AJK President Chaudhry Latif Akbar during their visit.
Mr Gerbehaye, who is from Belgium, worked on the book over a period of eight years. It features photographs from Indian-administered Kashmir, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The collection includes images of individuals affected by violence, including those injured by pellet guns, as well as residents of areas near the Line of Control who have been affected by cross-border firing. The book also portrays daily life and cultural aspects of communities across the region.
Promotional events and a photographic exhibition were also held earlier this week at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad. The events were attended by political, social, diplomatic, academic and literary figures, along with university students.
Participants at the Islamabad and Muzaffarabad events described the exhibitions as an effort to draw international attention to the Kashmir issue.
Mr Syed, who is currently visiting Pakistan and Azad Kashmir for these events, said KCEU had played a key role in the preparation and publication of the book, as well as in organising related exhibitions and promotional activities in Europe and Pakistan.
According to the organisers, the exhibition will next be held on February 1 and 2 at the Mirpur University of Science and Technology in Mirpur, Azad Kashmir, and from February 5 to 10 at the National College of Arts in Lahore.
Human rights activist Marjan Lucas from the Netherlands and Hungarian intellectual Andre Bárcs were also in attendance as part of a European delegation. Several prominent personalities and government officials from AJK, as well as a visiting Korean delegation, attended the exhibition.
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