Human Rights: Kashmir

Calls attention to the partition of India, leading to unrest since 1947 with UN resolutions and violence across Kashmir. Since becoming chair of the APPG on Kashmir in November 2018, she focuses on human rights abuses reported by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights including killings, sexual violence, disappearances, detentions under PSA Act, and obstruction of access to justice and medical care.

Questions if the international community should intervene in resolving human rights abuses in Kashmir due to security concerns. Supports challenging Modi's government on breaking UN conventions and human rights violations.

Supports the call for challenging Modi’s government regarding the breaking of UN conventions and reports of human rights abuses in Kashmir.

Concerned about Amnesty International's operations being shut down by Indian Government, supports condemning this action and supporting their vital work on human rights.

Qureshi discusses the curfew imposed on 4 August 2019, leading to mass arrests, indefinite detentions, internet shutdowns, and loss of state autonomy. She also addresses the impact on education, press freedom, and economic activities in Kashmir.

Moore welcomes the debate and highlights concerns raised by his constituents regarding human rights abuses in Kashmir. He mentions ongoing lockdown restrictions, arrests without due cause, property destruction, and legal reforms that revoke residents' property rights. He calls for investigations and pressures on both India and Pakistan to seek a solution.

The debate highlights the ongoing human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir. The international community must take action to enforce UN resolutions and uphold the right of self-determination for Kashmiris, rather than treating it as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

Supporting Imran Hussain's argument, Richard Burgon points out that the revocation of articles 370 and 35A by the Indian Government is a violation of international law. It represents an attempt to quash the Kashmiri struggle for self-determination.

Bob Blackman argues that Jammu and Kashmir was legally ceded to India in 1947, making Pakistan's occupation of part of the region illegal. He also notes improvements in civil liberties since article 370 was revoked, such as women’s property rights and protections against child marriage.

Acknowledges the passion of his Kashmiri constituents, expresses shock at human rights abuses in Kashmir, emphasises the fundamental right to self-determination denied to Kashmiris, urges the Minister to use UK influence for talks, highlights the need for people on both sides of the line of control to have their human rights protected.

Raises concerns about alleged use of cluster munitions by India along the line of control, cites a letter from Pakistan's high commission detailing an incident in 2019 involving civilian casualties due to such weapons, describes the destructive nature of cluster bombs and their unacceptable use against civilians, emphasises the importance of establishing facts to protect British Kashmiris' safety.

Expresses deep concerns for the situation in Kashmir, urges UK Government to take a more active role in securing peace and protecting human rights, condemns the revocation of article 370, highlights her visit to Kashmir as part of an all-party delegation where she witnessed injustices faced by ordinary people, emphasises the need for action until justice is secured for Kashmiris.

The MP highlights human rights violations in Kashmir, including torture and rape, citing first-hand evidence from victims. He argues for the United Nations to enforce its resolutions on human rights abuses and support a peace process based on self-determination.

While not providing a detailed position statement, Eleanor Laing announces that she will reduce the speaking time to three minutes after two speakers due to the need to conclude the debate by 5 o'clock.

The MP criticises the UK Government's lack of attention towards human rights abuses in Kashmir, including restrictions on information circulation and internet access. She calls for diplomatic actions and international assessment of the situation to build lasting peace.

The MP acknowledges local efforts to raise awareness about human rights abuses in Kashmir and emphasises the importance of supporting persecuted Muslim communities, alongside other persecuted groups such as Rohingya and Uyghur. He argues for self-determination similar to cases like Gibraltar or the Falkland Islands.

Thanked the all-party group and highlighted specific cases of Kashmiri detainees, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani who passed away after years under house arrest and Ashraf Sehrai who died alone in hospital without family visits due to preventive detention. Emphasised the lack of focus on women's rights in Kashmir despite their significant role in the conflict.

Argued for upholding British values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law internationally. Called for intervention due to nuclear-armed nations involved in the conflict, stressing the importance of communication between Kashmir and UK constituents.

Paid tribute to Syed Ali Shah Geelani and emphasised the need for international community involvement in resolving the Kashmir conflict. Criticised India's denial of self-determination rights to Kashmiris and called for measures against Indian officials due to restrictions on parliamentarians accessing Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Critiques the UK Government's double standards in its foreign policy towards India, suggesting it applies Magnitsky-style sanctions against China but remains silent on human rights violations in Kashmir. She highlights that Kashmir is the world’s largest militarized zone and a significant threat to global peace due to India and Pakistan being nuclear-armed states.

Discusses the geopolitical implications of the situation in Kashmir, emphasising connections between democracy, pluralism, human rights, fundamentalism, terrorism, and insurgency. He points out that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is neither a country nor a province but a satrapy with no democratic representation and stringent restrictions on political participation.

The debate centres on the worsening human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. Liam Byrne argues that firing pellets at children, detaining thousands without trial for up to two years, beatings, torture, and extrajudicial killings are not mere concerns but serious abuses. He suggests three ways to address these issues: telling the truth about what is happening; linking trade deals with human rights observance; and pushing for a multilateral solution rather than treating it as a bilateral issue.

Afzal Khan highlights the longstanding human rights concerns in Indian-administered Kashmir, noting that over 70 years have passed since the conflict began and stressing the dire situation faced by Kashmiris. He argues for a broader approach to human rights violations within India, including protests against farmers' rights and persecution of minorities. He also calls on the Government to recognise Britain's historical role in the Kashmir conflict.

Zarah Sultana discusses her personal connection to Kashmir through family ties and highlights the human rights violations since 2019 when India revoked Article 370, leading to a brutal lockdown. She points out that Amnesty International was forced to halt operations due to state repression and mirrors this with other repressive actions against farmers' protests and Sikh activists in Britain.

Paid tribute to the impassioned speeches heard during the debate on the human rights situation in Kashmir, and called for the UK Government to do more to secure the human rights of Kashmiris. She emphasised the need for India's Government to respect the administrative autonomy of Kashmir and its constitutional rights, including the right to a safe and legal vote on self-determination. Bardell also highlighted the impact of the militarisation of the region and the suppression of journalists and human rights defenders.

My constituents in Luton South believe that the UK has a vital role to play in resolving the Kashmir conflict, and it should not be left as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.

The Simla agreement is important, but it does not take precedence over UN resolutions which call for issues involving India, Pakistan, and Kashmir to be negotiated between the parties without unilateral action.

Congratulated the hon. Members for Oldham East and Saddleworth (Debbie Abrahams) and Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi) on securing the debate, thanked all contributors for their insightful and passionate contributions, highlighted the UK's strategic framework in the Indo-Pacific region as outlined in the integrated review, emphasised the importance of human rights, freedom of expression, and rule of law, mentioned the India-UK road map for future relations, acknowledged the Government’s serious concern about Kashmir but stated it was not within the UK's purview to prescribe a solution or mediate. Mentioned that the ceasefire along the line of control has been renewed and encouraged diplomatic solutions.