RIYADH/JEDDAH — A large number of Saudi citizens, diplomats and Pakistani and Kashmiri community members participated in separate ceremonies marking the Kashmir Black Day in Riyadh and Jeddah recently. Addressing the gatherings, prominent Kashmiri and Pakistani community leaders stressed the importance of the day, which commemorates the Indian troops' landing in Srinagar on Oct. 27, 1947. Ambassador Mohammed Naeem Khan said Pakistan would continue to provide moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for self-determination. He was speaking at a gathering of a large number of Pakistanis and Kashmiris living in Riyadh. Citing a report by the UN Commission for Human Rights that mentioned gross violations of human rights in the territory, Khan called on the Indian government to stop atrocities against the Kashmiri people. Khan said the resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people was imperative for peace and stability in South Asia. In Jeddah, Consul General Abdul Salik Khan presided over a separate ceremony. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Jifri, Chairman of the International Qur'an Committee, was the chief guest. Prominent community leaders who addressed the gathering included Kashmir Committee member Sardar Abdul Razzaq, Qari Aziz ur Rehman and Member of the Overseas Pakistani Foundation's governing body Asghar Qureshi as well as Kashmiri community leaders Haji Ihsan Danish, Muhammad Zahoor Abbasi, Qari Abdul Basit, Sardar Razzaq Masud Puri, Chaudhry Jafar Hussain, Pervez Yousaf, Munir Shah and Amir Muhammad Khan. — SG
