ISLAMABAD: To mark the Kashmir Day being observed on Thursday, a roundtable discussion on the topic of “Reviving Kashmir dispute: Pakistan’s role and responsibility” was held at the Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS) here on Thursday.

It was attended by a large number of academics, researchers, journalists, university students and the CPGS team.

The key-note speaker was Dr. Muhammad Khan, Head of Department, International Relations, the National Defence University, Islamabad. The second speaker was Ms. Farzana Yaqoob, Minister for Social Welfare and Development, the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The insightful presentations were followed by a lively discussion. The participants gave a number of recommendations toward the end of the event. These included that Pakistanshould stop treating Kashmir as a territorial dispute with India, and should instead view and project it both within the country and internationally as a matter of the will of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. There is a need to establish Kashmir cell in Pakistani embassies located in important countries, at least the permanent members of UN security councils.

The chairman of the Kashmir standing committee should be a visionary and dynamic person who could represent Kashmiris’ voice effectively and forcefully across the world. Lastly, President CPGS Senator Sehar Kamran (T.I) emphasised that Pakistan will continue to raise the Kashmir dispute at different international forums and will support the cause of Kashmir politically, morally and diplomatically. NNI