MUZAFFARABAD, May 10: A Britain-based Kashmiri leader has said that the issue of forced marriages is a serious problem, particularly for the Kashmiri community, bringing it into disrepute.

“I must admit that it is a serious issue and earns us a lot of embarrassment and disrepute,” said Dr Riaz Mahmood, president of the United Kingdom chapter of the Muslim Conference on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Mahmood who is currently touring Azad Kashmir, said the problem had ravaged the future of a number of youth mainly because most of such marriages remained unsuccessful.

“Lack of understanding between the spouses is the main reason for the failure of such marriages. The wedlock is rendered unsuccessful when you marry a highly educated girl brought up in a different atmosphere with an illiterate or less educated boy from Pakistan against her will and consent,” he said.

Dr Mahmood stressed that the parents should not ruin the lives of their children by arranging such marriages out of egoism or family pride.

“There is nothing wrong with an arranged marriage, but at least the parents must ensure that the mental level of the children who they want to turn into husband and wife matches,” he said.

He said a bad impression about the state of women in Pakistan had been prevailing in the West, which needed to be addressed.

“I have also suggested to National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain to send a delegation of women parliamentarians to the UK so that the people there know that women enjoy appropriate representation in the democratic institutions in Pakistan and the situation is not like what they think or has been conveyed to them,” he said.

Asked about the problems of Kashmiri and Pakistani expatriates, he said the biggest issue of concern for them was the and unfriendly attitude of the Pakistan International Airlines. “We have observed more often than not that the PIA aircraft fly with almost half of the seats empty, but whenever anyone asks for a seat they refuse,” he said.

He alleged that PIA offices in the UK would refuse a seat even a month before the flight but one could immediately get a confirmed seat a day before the planned departure by paying an additional amount to the agents. He asked the authorities to take notice of the problem.