Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the human rights implications of recent restrictions imposed by authorities of the Republic of India on (a) public meetings and (b) communications leading to the deprivation of liberty for political leaders within the territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

​We are following the serious situation in Kashmir closely. The continued use of detentions and the continued restrictions on communications are worrying. It is important that individual rights are fully respected and that there is constructive dialogue with affected communities. We have raised our concerns with the Indian Government. The Prime Minister discussed the situation in Kashmir with PM Modi of India and PM Khan of Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary discussed this issue with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar. As the Minister responsible for South Asia, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has also had a number of conversations with both the Indian High Commissioner and the Pakistani High Commissioner regarding the situation.