Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has urged the British government to avoid diplomatic escapism

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ISLAMABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan has urged the British government to avoid diplomatic escapism and refrain from terming the Kashmir dispute a bilateral issue.

AJK President urges UK Govt not to avoid diplomatic escapism not ...

Speaking at a webinar titled “Twin Lockdown in Kashmir and Global Response” organised by the Tehreek-i-Kashmir-UK on Saturday, he asked parliamentarians and civil society of Britain to have a dialogue with 10 Downing Street, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office over the deteriorating situation in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Academics and leading members of parliament belonging to the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Scottish National parties took part in the webinar.

The AJK president said concrete steps should be taken to help stop the egregious human rights violations, killings, torture, rapes and incarcerations taking place under the twin lockdown, firstly in the shape of a siege imposed in August last year and now a Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, which have made the lives of Kashmiris a living hell.

British MPs attend webinar on ‘Twin Lockdown in Kashmir and Global Response’

According to a statement, Labour MP Liam Byrne said the United Kingdom had to drop the pretence that this disputed issue must be resolved bilaterally. There should be impartial third-party mediation for the resolution of the issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. He said there was a risk of war if the situation escalated amongst the two neighbours.

Mr Byrne condemned the growing sectarian polarisation in India and termed it degradation of its secular character.

MP Jim McMahon (Labour) said that almost one year had passed since the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had released its second report on Kashmir on July 8 last year but since then no progress had taken place and instead the situation had deteriorated even more.

MP Nadia Whittome (Labour) demanded withdrawal of troops and an end to human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir. She said that Articles 35-A and 370 should be immediately restored.

MP Stella Creasy (Labour) vowed to raise the issue of Kashmir with parliamentarians from all parties.

MP James Daly, Chairman of Conservative Friends of Kashmir and Vice-Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group in Kashmir, committed to standing for the inalienable right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.

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