By Oryza Natasari
GOMBAK, 8 December 2019: “There are many issues in Kashmir that we do not know,” the legal expert and convenor of All Parties Hurriyat Conference of Azad Kashmir, Syed Faiz Naqshbandi, told the audience at the forum on “Kashmir: Beyond The Lenses of Bollywood” at Main Auditorium, IIUM, last night (7 December).
Mr. Naqshbandi explained that the Indian intervention in Kashmir uses the armed forces to counter the Kashmiris. He said that the armed forces had shut down the internet communication such as WhatsApp and the Kashmiris experienced blackout for several months.
The Main Auditorium was filled with about 500 participants attending to support the Kashmir issue. This event was organised by Al-Aqsa Friend’s Society which had started a campaign on this event since 27 November.
This forum discussed how Bollywood movie only show the fantasy land in Kashmir. The movie displays a heroic soldier that protects the Kashmiri. But in fact, only a few media reported the sad reality in Kashmir.
The organising committee showed Bollywood movie scenes versus the reality in Kashmir and the video of IIUM students’ opinions on Kashmir.
The discussion led to tell the audiences about the facts in Kashmir by the representing four panelists. They were Shaista Safi (Kashmiri lobbyist and former anchor person), Muzzamil Ayyub Thakur (President, World Kashmir Freedom Movement), Datuk Tahir Khan (Chairman, Pakistan Society Malaysia), and Samer Allawi (Chief Bureau of Al Jazeera, Kuala Lumpur).
This event also invited Muhammad Sano as the special performer. He is from West Africa and showed in his spoken words on the difficulties for contacting family in Kashmir by incorporating one of Adele’s song, Hello.***