Unique photographic exhibition on Pakistan Movement opens

Provincial Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Tanvirul Islam opened the exhibition. The federal Information and Broadcasting’s Directorate General of Films and Publications had organised the exhibition titled “Hamara Watan Hamara Quaid” in connection with Independence Day celebrations.

The two-day exhibition is a panorama of events before and after the independence with a special emphasis on the activities of the Father of the Nation and his associates.

This exhibition of black and white photographs is more of a reminder to the young generation how Pakistan was made and by whom. The photographs portray moments of triumph, pain and achievement captured forever by the lens. A heart-warming trip down the memory lane for some, for others it is a refresher course about the importance of a country and how it is gained.

The pictures on display show the journey which spans approximate over half a decade - the most turbulent period in the history of the subcontinent. In a few photos, Quaid-e-Azam and his associates have been shown in many important meetings which later turned out to be defining moments for our beloved country’s freedom in 1947.

The exhibition shows Quaid-e-Azam inaugurating the newly established State Bank of Pakistan in Karachi with a gold key immediately after independence. It shows in pictures thousands of migrating Pakistanis on trains coming to Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam’s visit to the NWFP, his meetings in London, and portraits of people who worked shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah is seen accompanying her illustrious brother in many photographs. The exhibition is a treasure of information for the youth who do not have a clear concept of freedom and independence and know little what it costs to make a country. They would certainly know better about their true identity and their heroic past and their heroes through pictures since a picture says more than a thousand words and there are at least three dozen pictures which have many volumes of books condensed into them.

Going to this exhibition is the scared duty of the youth who opened their eyes in a free and independent Pakistan, not knowing about what it cost to gain independence.

They may also understand more about the logic and rationale of the freedom struggle in Kashmir, Palestine and elsewhere in the world after looking at these pictures since independence and freedom are not available for free and a very heavy price must be paid to gain freedom. In our case, it was our forefathers who paid this price for us to be free and live in an independent country.