LAHORE: Senior painter, calligraphist and travelogue writer Aslam Kamal on Wednesday displayed a poster he has made to highlight the plight of the oppressed people of India Occupied Kashmir at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture, vowing he will also display it at other cultural institutes and important places of the city.

The eighty-five-year old artist started his campaign to show solidarity with the oppressed Kashmirirs from PILAC, where, despite his ailment, he stood for an hour with his poster.

Mr Kamal will display the poster at Alhamra today (Thursday) and will continue the practice at different important places of the city, including Liberty Chowk in the coming days.

At PILAC the staff of the institute also supported the cause of Kashmir and stood by Mr Kamal.

Kamal has a special association with PILAC where he was commissioned in 2014 to paint a mural of Sufi saints of Punjab. However, he could only do initial work on the project that remained incomplete because of his deteriorating health.

The 12x8 feet mural was to be painted in oil, depicting seven Sufi poets of Punjab -- Baba Farid, Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Khawaja Ghulam Farid and Mian Muhammad Bakhsh.

Aslam Kamal, who was awarded Pride of Performance, says that by standing at different points of the city with this poster on the IOK situation, he would show his solidarity with his Kashmiri brothers and sisters.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2019