The Pakistan National Council of the Arts in Islamabad opened a major photographic exhibition and book launch today featuring Belgian documentary photographer and filmmaker Cédric Gerbehaye and his long-term project Kashmir Wait And See, presented by the Pakistan Photo Festival in collaboration with PNCA and Kashmir Council EU.
The event drew a wide cross-section of the cultural and diplomatic community, including the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz, Mr. Asad Rehman Gilani, Secretary NH&CD, and M. Ayoub Jamali, Director General PNCA. Diplomats, senior bureaucrats, artists, photographers, photojournalists, students and researchers attended remarks by organisers and the curator, followed by a guided walkthrough of the exhibition.
Kashmir Wait And See presents long-term photographic narratives that probe themes of human rights, memory and the human condition. Cédric Gerbehaye, whose publications include Congo in Limbo, Land of Cush, D’entre eux and ZOONOSE, is a World Press Photo and Amnesty International Media Award recipient; his work is held in major museum collections worldwide.
Founded in 2016 by Shah Zaman Baloch, the Pakistan Photo Festival promotes photographic culture across Pakistan and South Asia through exhibitions, workshops, fellowships and mentorships. Kashmir Council EU, an independent NGO, supports awareness and dialogue on Kashmir through advocacy and cultural initiatives, partnering with local institutions to bring international projects like this to Pakistani audiences.
The exhibition is open to the public at PNCA in Islamabad and runs until 28 January, with daily hours from 10am to 4pm. Visitors are encouraged to view Kashmir Wait And See to engage with photography as a medium for understanding complex histories and fostering cross-cultural conversation.
