The Pakistan High Commission here commemorated the ‘Kashmir Black Day’ with a programme where speakers urged the international community to play a role in solving the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, a territorial dispute between Pakistan and India, dating from 1947.
The event held on Tuesday at the high commission here was attended by professors from various universities, academicians, students and Pakistanis residing in Malaysia, the high commission said in a statement.
Kashmiri people observe Oct 27 as ‘black day’ annually to protest the arrival of Indian troops and their invasion of the Himalayan region in 1947.
Kashmir is held in part by Pakistan and India, but claimed in full by both.
Assistant Professor Dr Hassaan A. Rathore said the international community, including Malaysia, must play its due role in executing the United Nations resolutions that were promised to Kashmiris some six and a half decades ago.
Dr Hassan, from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, also urged the international community to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir. Another speaker, International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) Prof Abdullah Al-Ahsan, who held similar views, also emphasised on the role of the media in shaping public opinion, especially in today’s modern age.
“It seems to me that we have become very shy of highlighting the truth. It bothers me because we have failed to highlight our perspective and as a result of this, things have been manipulated,” he said on negative reports on the dispute.
Pakistan High Commissioner to Malaysia, Syed Hasan Raza opined that without improvement in bilateral relations between Pakistan and India, it would be difficult for the people of South Asia to achieve progress and prosperity.
According to him, the Pakistani prime minister had given proposals to address the Kashmir dispute and normalise relations.
