§ 5. Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Pakistan to discuss the future of Kashmir. [27196]
§ Mr. HanleyI visited Pakistan in March, and my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary hopes to visit Pakistan in due course to discuss our strongly developing commercial and other links, and a range of other issues including Kashmir.
§ Mr. LidingtonDoes my right hon. Friend agree that there is unlikely to be any political agreement on Kashmir while the people of that area still live in fear of torture and terrorism? Will he urge the Governments of Pakistan and of India, as a first step, at least to agree to the independent investigation of allegations of human rights abuses?
§ Mr. HanleyI shall repeat what bears repeating, which is the Government's policy on Kashmir. We think that the best way forward on Kashmir should involve simultaneous progress on dialogue between India and Pakistan, as provided for under the 1972 Simla agreement; improvement in human rights in Kashmir; genuine political progress there; and a clear cessation of external support for violence in Kashmir. My hon. Friend is right that an improvement in human rights in Kashmir is essential to a solution and to peace in that troubled part of the world. We remain concerned about human rights in Kashmir. We have regularly raised our concerns with the Indian Government and welcome the policy of greater openness by that Government, in particular their decision to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to operate in Kashmir.
§ Mr. PikeWill the Minister recognise that, while we do not yet know the outcome of the Indian election, it presents an opportunity to get a new opening and that, together with Pakistan and India, we have to see movement to end the situation in Kashmir? Will the Government use that opportunity to make representations to the new Indian Government, as soon as that has been formed?
§ Mr. HanleyThe hon. Gentleman is right. We do not know exactly what the Government of India will be. We have been disappointed in the past when talks between India and Pakistan—for instance those in Islamabad in January 1994—were not continued. We recognise that finding a solution will not be easy, but we shall continue 225 to urge both countries to try to resolve their differences through peaceful negotiation. A new Government in India, of whatever complexion, could be an opportunity for dialogue between India and Pakistan and, of course, we in the United Kingdom remain available to help should both sides want that.
§ Mr. WallerDoes my right hon. Friend agree that the vast expenditure of billions of pounds by India and Pakistan on armaments and military forces—there are 600,000 members of the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir—could be much better spent on resolving the problems of the sub-continent in terms of better health and social services and better education? When the elections in India are over, will my right hon. Friend exert every possible pressure on India and Pakistan to sit down and enter into meaningful discussions with the objective, among other things, that the people of Kashmir have some say in their own future?
§ Mr. HanleyI agree utterly with my hon. Friend.I have personally raised with Indian and Pakistani Ministers their expenditure on the arms race and the missile race and on nuclear issues. That is wasteful and, of course, diverts from the real problems of both countries involving the poor. There would be much more money available for those who are in dire need if there were peace between these two countries and continuing dialogue.