Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Indian counterpart on press freedom in Kashmir.

Freedom of expression and of the media are essential qualities of any functioning democracy. We are concerned by reports of some ongoing detentions of journalists and call for these to be lifted as soon as possible. We also work closely with the Indian media, including by funding an annual South Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme under our flagship Chevening brand. Last year, we funded 17 fellows, including seven from India.