Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department has taken to help reduce tensions and hostilities in Kashmir.

We are monitoring the situation in Kashmir closely and are in regular contact with the Governments of India and of Pakistan. When the British Prime Minister last spoke to Prime Minister Modi and to Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan about the situation in Kashmir, he underlined the importance of resolving issues through dialogue. When the Foreign Secretary spoke to Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar, he expressed concerns around the situation and called for calm. The Minister for South Asia has also had regular engagement with the Indian and Pakistani High Commissioners. He raised the situation in Kashmir with the Indian Minister for Minority Affairs earlier this month. Our longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. We encourage India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue and find lasting, diplomatic solutions to maintain regional stability.