Debate at westminster

Last Wednesday the situation In Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the backdrop of the scrapping of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution ending special status of the state and the blatant abuse of human rights, was the focus of a debate held at the Westminster Hall of the UK Parliament in which ten MPs belonging to different parties and a minister participated. What was said there constituted the strongest repudiation of India’s narrative of the situation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir being its internal matter and her indictment as a violator of human rights in the state besides advocacy for the need to settle the issue according to the wishes of the people of Kashmir. It would probably be pertinent to briefly mention the observations made by the MPs and the British minister who participated in the debate.

Sarah Owen MP, of the opposition Labour Party, said, “Lockdown in occupied Kashmir was not for the protection of the people but for coercion. More than 500,000 Indian troops have held the people of occupied Kashmir captive. Kashmiri Muslims were also being prevented from going to hospitals. Indian women were being harassed and raped on their doorsteps.”

This represents a triumph of the diplomatic offensive launched by Pakistan to sensitize the world about the illegal action of India in the occupied Kashmir and the brazen violation of human rights by the Indian security forces. It also is a vindication of Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue

James Barry Daly MP, of the ruling Conservative Party, observed, “Tragic incidents of rape and sexual violence are taking place in occupied Kashmir. The lockdown is not like our lockdown. This lockdown attacks the very fundamental human rights. There are people detained in Kashmir who have been waiting for 15 years for a trial and there is not a single word from the international community in their support. Torture, disappearing is common in Kashmir, yet we do not see this on the screens of Western world media. I have heard appalling stories of rape and sexual violence against women.”

John Spellar MP, of the opposition Labour Party, said, “We are not against India but that does not mean that we should not hold Indian authorities accountable for their abusive behavior, especially in Kashmir. We also reject any argument in relation to Kashmir and Punjab that these are internal matters and of no concern to those outside.

“Human rights are a universal matter. The current crisis has been deliberately instigated by Indian authorities with their rewriting of the long-standing constitution. There has also been the change to property law, to try to change the facts on the ground in Kashmir, fundamentally by changing the population and therefore trying to secure a different outcome from a possible referendum.”

Sara Britcliffe MP, of the ruling Conservative Party, said “We went to the LoC and witnessed heartbreakin images. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life, especially when we visited the refugee camp. The citizens of the region have been living in the world’s most militarized zone, with the fallout damaging the lives of the men, women and children of Kashmir with curfews, a ban on communications access, the closing of media outlets, and widespread arrest of politicians and human rights activists. We need to understand that there are two nuclear power involved in the tension, we must ensure that we do all we can to protect the fundamental human rights of the Kashmiri people.”

Naz Shah MP, of the opposition Labour Party, said, “In Kashmir occupied by 600,000 Indian soldiers, women are raped, political activists are in prisons, Indian government is changing demography and thousands of non-Kashmiris are getting domicile. From 2015-2020 Britain sold more than half a billion pounds worth of arms to India, which will contribute to shedding the blood of the Kashmiri people”.

Robbie Moore MP, of the opposition Labour Party, claimed “No foreign journalists are being allowed into Kashmir by the Indian Government, communication is heavily controlled by Indian authorities. Thousands of people have been arrested and face harassment and imprisonment without due cause including lawyers, small business owners, journalists, students and of course human rights activists. Over 300 Kashmiris have been killed since special status was revoked. UK’s fundamental values are freedom and democracy. That applies not only to the situation in Kashmir, but around the world”.

Paul Bristow MP, of the ruling Conservative Party, reiterated, “We would urge ministers to raise with their Indian counterparts the arbitrary detention of Kashmiri political leaders, enforced lockdown, ban on communication and massive human rights violations. India is a friend so I would urge to discuss with Indians on Kashmir. A resolution to this problem is bilateral approach by Pakistan and India but self-determination is a universal right”.

Jim Shannon MP, of the Democratic Unionist Party, observed, “There are still more 400 people who remain in custody under the draconian Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. There is also a freedom of religion or belief element to the human rights violations of Kashmir, such as the shutting down of many mosques. It is time that our Government encouraged authorities to grant access to all EU and UN independent experts and international human rights monitoring mechanisms to Kashmir.”

Stephen Kinnock MP, of the opposition Labour Party, asserted “The Labour Party strongly supports the conclusions of the Simla agreement and agrees that issues involving India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir should be negotiated between the parties. Kashmir is the longest unresolved conflict in a heavily militarized zone of the world. We see that the situation on the ground in Kashmir is bleak. Some account states that over 95,000 have been killed in Kashmir in the last 30 years alone. The Labour Party will always speak up vociferously in defence of the human rights of the people of Kashmir. Our position on Kashmir has not changed. We support and recognize previous UN resolutions on the rights of the Kashmiri people.”

Nigel Adams, minister for Asia and Conervative MP, said, “We enjoyed relations with both Pakistan and India. We still believe that it is on India and Pakistan to find political solution for lasting peace according to the wishes of Kashmiri people. Since 2019 we have been closely watching the detentions in Indian administered Kashmir. Any allegations of human rights violations must be investigated promptly. We are requesting permission for officials from our high commission to visit Kashmir as soon as the situation permits. We strongly believe that everyone everywhere should enjoy equal rights and protections”.

Reportedly UK Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland, replying to a question about the debate, said that the UK has asked India to lift all restrictions and allow a team from the British High Commission to visit the occupied territory for a first hand assessment of the situation.

Particularly intriguing is the remark of John Spellar that India was probably trying to change the demographic realities in Indian-Occupied Kashmir to secure a different outcome from a possible referendum. The remark makes sense. The Indian leaders probably have it at the back of their mind that they could not hold on to Kashmir for an indefinite period and a time might come when they would have to agree to a plebiscite as enunciated in the UN resolutions. It was therefore necessary to change the demographic contours of the state.

The foregoing represent a triumph of the diplomatic offensive launched by Pakistan to sensitize the world about the illegal action of India in the occupied Kashmir and the brazen violation of human rights by the Indian security forces. It also is a vindication of Pakistan’s stance on the Kashmir issue.