ISLAMABAD: Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in collaboration with Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division on Thursday organised a series of activities to mark the black day against Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian troops entered Kashmir 76 years ago while the Muslim majority was ready to affiliate with Pakistan.

The activities included a two-hour programme consisting of a puppet show, stage play, violin performance on Kashmiri song, mime show, speeches and tableau by schoolchildren. The programme commenced with a Naat in Kashmiri language recited by Salma Khan.

National Puppet Theatre and Children Art Workshop for the first time presented a special theme puppet show with reference to the black day which included skit, a brief history through dialogues of the puppet characters and a story of a child showing him keen to get education, to get freedom from oppression and tyranny of Indian security forces. It showed him losing his eyesight to pallet guns fired by Indian security forces, but still he seemed determined to win over tyrannies and barbarism.

PNCA also presented a stage play based on the theme of regular curfew in the India-held Kashmir, urging the Kashmiri young generation to promote peace in the world and get freedom from tyranny of the Indian security forces and the ban on media in the valley.

Schoolchildren from IMCB G-6/2, Al Siddique School System and Buraq School System presented speeches and tableau. At the end of the programme, a mime show based on a song “zulm bhi rahay aur amn bhi ho” was presented by PNCA’s National Performing Art Group.

Salma Khan while hosting the programme highlighted the history of Kashmir issue with context to illegal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir by Indian government and its security forces, the role of Burhan Wani in raising the voice of youth at the international level to give them the right of self-determination through referendum as per UN resolutions. Finally, his voice was silenced by Indian forces. The activities coincided with a photograph exhibition by the Visual Arts Division.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2022