kashmir English news | kashmir, Latest News & Live Updates in English | English News (Latest English News) at Lokmattimes.com

In a letter dated September 6 and accessed by , in reply to a letter by Conservative MP Bob Blackman who has spoken in favour of revocation of Article 370 in Kashmir, Johnson said both India and Pakistan are important partners for Britain.Johnson said his government has been in touch with both India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and that he has spoken to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan on the issue.The letter to Blackman read: "Thank you for your letter of 9 August regarding current events in Kashmir."The government's long standing position remains that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political solution to the situation in Kashmir, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people."Both India and Pakistan are important partners to the UK. Our respective bilateral relationships continue to flourish. This is demonstrated by our cooperation with both countries on a range of issues, as well as the vibrancy of our people-to-people links bolstered by large and active Indian and Pakistani diasporas here in the UK."The government is monitoring the situation in Kashmir closely and there has been regular contact with both the Indian and Pakistani governments. On 7 August, I spoke to Prime Minister Khan and the Foreign Secretary discussed the situation with his Indian counterpart Dr Jaishankar. I also spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India on 20 August. Throughout, we have urged for calm and restraint from all."Thank you once again for writing."The Ministry of External Affairs, when asked about the British PM's statement, told that it has noted that the UK was for the Kashmir issue to be resolved bilaterally between the two nations."We note that the UK is for India and Pakistan to resolve the issue bilaterally," the MEA source told .Blackman in his letter to 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British PM, had condemned the Labour Party for reacting on India's "internal matter".Blackman had said that the revocation of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and the bifurcation the state into two Union Territories for better governance, were "internal matters" for India, which is a "long-standing friend and ally" of Britain.He said that "it appears very strange that Labour MPs were criticising the Indian government for equalising the rights of all its citizens. Surely such a step should be welcomed in any democracy."He said that Prime Minister Modi's democratically elected government "is perfectly entitled to implement its own election manifesto, which explicitly proposed these constitutional changes to Articles 370 and 35A. Labour MPs should not be so surprised if an elected government keeps its promises.""It has been the long-held position of successive UK governments that any matter concerning Kashmir is a strictly bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. We should urgently clarify whether the Labour Party has decided to break with cross-party consensus given the significant adverse impact this would have upon the future of UK-India relations," Blackman said.He also accused the Labour Party of being "anti-Indian" and "anti-Hindu", which is not keen on establishing a long-term friendly relationship with India.( With inputs from IANS )

KashmirFOLLOW

Kashmir, Latest News

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Saturday said that scores of hospitals across the country were willing to invest in the "medi-city" for which the Central government has finalised land in both Jammu and Srinagar. ...

Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh on Saturday cautioned Pakistan against using civilians of PoK as "cannon fodder". ...

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan should hand over the portion of Kashmir (PoK) to India, which it has occupied illegally, if it wanted to hold talks with India. ...

With his appeal to Muslim-majority countries and the global community failing to fetch any results, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday tried to ratchet up Muslim sentiments against India over Kashmir. ...

India on Friday advised Pakistan to look into its own cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and other regions instead of peddling false narrative on the Kashmir issue at the UNHRC. ...

A political activist in PoK, Amjad Ayub Mirza, on Friday said that a rally 'big jalsa' called by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Muzaffarabad on the Kashmir issue turned up to be a "flop show". ...

Continuing his anti-India narrative, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday incited violence, saying that the people of Kashmir would move towards extremism to fight against the alleged human rights violation in the region. ...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK is monitoring the situation in Kashmir closely and wants India and Pakistan to find a "lasting political solution to the situation in Kashmir, in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri peo ...