India deplores ‘false assertions’ in UK Parliament Kashmir debate

India has expressed its dismay at a few of the parliamentarians who participated in a debate on Kashmir in the Houses of Parliament complicated in London counting on “false assertion” and unsubstantiated allegations propagated by a “third country” – an obvious reference to Pakistan.

The debate, organised by backbench British MPs at Westminster Hall in the House of Commons on Wednesday night, was entitled “Political situation in Kashmir” – terminology the Indian High Commission in London identified as problematic in itself.

“Regarding the reference to ‘Kashmir’ in the title: the need is felt to differentiate between the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (when the erstwhile princely state of Kashmir legally acceded to India in October 1947, this part was forcibly and illegally occupied by Pakistan),” the High Commission stated in a press release.

“It was also noted that references to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, despite the volumes of authentic information available in the public domain – based on up to date and visible facts on the ground – ignored current ground reality and, instead chose to reflect false assertions of the kind promoted by a third country, such as unsubstantiated allegations of ‘genocide’, ‘rampant violence’ and ‘torture’,” it famous.

Responding to the debate on behalf of the UK authorities, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) minister Nigel Adams had reiterated the official stance that it’s not for Britain to play any mediatory position in a bilateral India-Pakistan matter, whilst he accepted there have been human rights issues on each side of the Line of Control (LoC).

“The government’s policy [on Kashmir] remains stable, it’s unchanged. We continue to believe that this is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people… as laid out in the Simla Agreement,” stated Mr. Adams, in his capability as Minister for Asia.

“It’s not appropriate for the UK government to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator in this regard but it would be wrong to not acknowledge there are serious human rights concerns in both India-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This has been confirmed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in his reports,” he stated.

The minister additionally made a reference to the District Development Council (DDC) democratic elections held in the area in December final yr, which Labour Party MP Barry Gardiner identified attracted the free and honest participation of over 50% of the native voters.

“The people of Kashmir deserve the opportunity to thrive and succeed, so more broadly we welcome the commitment that the Indian government has made to the economic and social development of India-administered Kashmir and we continue to seek further details of their plans,” added Mr. Adams.

The debate, organised by Labour’s Sarah Owen, included the participation of cross-party British MPs, lots of whom have a big Kashmiri diaspora constituency base.

They raised issues of alleged human rights violations and known as on the UK authorities to hunt entry to the area for direct experiences from Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to be offered in the UK Parliament in future.

The Indian High Commission in London sought to spotlight that since final yr, a sensible Wifi mission has enabled high-speed web entry in the area and that regardless of threats of terror assaults, difficult climate situations and the COVID-19 pandemic, landmark DDC elections had been concluded in December 2020.

“Since the administrative reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, it is well on the path of good governance and accelerated development. All administrative measures taken by the Government of India in Jammu and Kashmir are entirely an internal matter of India,” the Indian High Commission assertion stated.

“Regarding the reference to peace and stability of our region, it is reiterated that India stands ready to engage with Pakistan on all outstanding issues – including on Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the Shimla Agreement (1972) and the Lahore Declaration (1999) in an atmosphere free from terror, hostility and violence,” it famous.

The assertion asserted that whereas it was not the coverage of India to take “undue interest” in the interior discussions inside a overseas Parliament, the High Commission of India continues to have interaction with all involved – together with the UK authorities and parliamentarians – to keep away from “misperceptions and misinformation” by making genuine details about India obtainable to all.