Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what (a) assessment he has made of the effect of reports of arbitrary indefinite detention in Kashmir and (b) representations the Government has made to the Government of (a) India and (b) Pakistan on the human rights of Kashmir residents.

We are following the serious situation in Kashmir closely. The continued use of detentions and the continued restrictions on communications is 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 Governments of India and Pakistan. The Prime Minister raised his concerns about the situation with PM Modi and PM Khan. The Foreign Secretary has also discussed Kashmir with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon has also spoken on a number of occasions with both the Indian High Commissioner and Pakistan High Commission about the situation.