A cartoon exhibition titled "All Eyes on Kashmir" was held in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), to expose Indian war crimes in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).  The exhibition was organized outside the Central Press Club under the banner of Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, an organization representing post-1989 refugees. The event featured around 50 images illustrating Indian military oppression, mass killings, enforced disappearances, and restrictions on civil liberties.

The exhibition drew a significant public attention, with visitors urging the United Nations to take immediate action against Indian atrocities and prosecute Indian forces in the International Criminal Court (ICC).  The event was attended by AJK’s Acting President Chaudhry Latif Akbar, former Chief Justice Ibrahim Zia, Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman Uzair Ahmad Ghazali, as well as Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Usman Ali Hashim, Shaukat Javed Mir, Central Bar Secretary Chaudhry Taufeeq Advocate, Aasiya Rafiq Advocate, Nauman Qureshi Advocate, Muhammad Aslam Inqilabi, and others.   

The cartoons vividly depicted the suffering of Kashmiris before and after August 5, 2019, when India unilaterally and illegally revoked IIOJK’s special status. Scenes of mass graves, environmental devastation due to the Amarnath Yatra, and Kashmiri civilians being forcibly made to participate in India’s so-called Republic Day celebrations were prominently highlighted.  Speaking on the occasion, AJK’s Acting President Chaudhry Latif Akbar called on the international community to take urgent notice of the grave human rights violations in IIOJK.

He asserted that draconian laws and state terrorism cannot crush the Kashmiri freedom movement and urged global powers to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities regarding the Kashmir dispute.  Former Chief Justice of AJK, Chaudhry Ibrahim Zia, denounced the Indian judiciary’s bias in Kashmir-related cases, stating that Indian courts were facilitating Modi’s crimes against humanity. He stressed that BJP-led Indian government regime must be held accountable for its actions in IIOJK. 

Pasban-e-Hurriyat Chairman Uzair Ahmad Ghazali described the Indian government’s actions in Kashmir as the worst war crimes of modern times. He said that the exhibition unveiled the plight of disappeared civilians and detainees suffering in Indian prisons.  Attendees called for the implementation of UNSC resolutions on Kashmir and appealed to peace-loving nations to intervene for a just resolution of the dispute. Visitors left handwritten messages of solidarity, demanding an end to Indian oppression and justice for the people of IIOJK.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)