By Nikhar Budhadev

Just a few months after India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Australian War Memorial, a display at the newly opened ANZAC Hall exhibition has become a source of unease for the Indian Australian community.

Inside the brand-new ANZAC Hall, there’s a display on Middle Eastern conflicts since 1990, featuring a map of India — but it omits Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and parts of Ladakh, a cartographic error that has drawn concern from many in the community

The Australia Today reached out to the Australian War Memorial regarding the issue. A spokesperson responded:

This graphic is a visual representation of maritime areas of operations across 1990-2020 and is in the Middle East Gallery. 

The image is for illustrative purposes only.

The conflict in the Middle East section is part of a major revamp of the Memorial. It’s packed with artifacts, photos, and military gear, showing Australia’s involvement in the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and later operations like patrols and coalition efforts in Iraq and Syria.

The exhibit aims to give visitors a sense of modern warfare, Australia’s commitments abroad, and the realities faced by service members.

Many visitors are angry and worried about the incorrect map because they see it as both a factual mistake and an insult to India’s territorial integrity.

With the long-standing ties between Australia and India—from Indian and Australian soldiers serving alongside each other in World War I to today’s deepening defence and strategic partnership—these concerns carry historical and geopolitical significance.

A viewer said, “I’m completely shocked! How can a Labor government let this happen?”

It underscores how deeply concerned people are that such an oversight went unnoticed before the gallery opened to the public.

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