HC Deb 08 May 1996 vol 277 cc229-30
12. Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken at the United Nations to secure a resolution of the conflict in Kashmir. [27204]

Mr. Hanley

Our policy on Kashmir is well known—indeed, I set it out again earlier this afternoon. We are ready to help find a solution if both sides ask us.

Mr. Prentice

Will the Minister comment on the statement made on 5 May by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narasimha Rao, that Kashmir would remain a permanent and integral part of India? Does he agree that the elections currently taking place in Jammu and Kashmir will not confer any legitimacy, and that the only thing that will is a plebiscite on self-determination? Is there not a case for a fresh initiative at the United Nations, and a fresh resolution, as the previous ones date from 1947, 1948 and 1960?

Mr. Hanley

I repeat that we believe that the best way forward must involve a simultaneous progress in dialogue between India and Pakistan, as provided for under the 1972 Simla agreement. In the attempts to provide a genuine political process and an improvement in human rights in Kashmir, we hope that as many people as possible in Kashmir will be consulted. A clear cessation of external support for violence in Kashmir is also vital. The Government's position with regard to Kashmir is both sustainable and honest. There can be no solution in Kashmir without India and Pakistan talking to each other, and we urge them to do so.

Mr. Jessel

The first results from the Indian elections come through tonight, including those from Jammu where, I am told, the turnout was more than 50 per cent. The elections in Kashmir valley are to follow later this month. Would it not be disgraceful if electors there were scared off by militants and terrorists armed and trained in Pakistan? Will the UN be asked to look into that?

Mr. Hanley

The parliamentary elections in Kashmir are taking place on 7, 23 and 30 May. We hope that militant groups will not resort to violence to disrupt the elections and will allow those who wish to participate to do so. There is some time to go before the results of the elections are known. As I said earlier, we have long advocated the need for a genuine political process in Kashmir. I believe that free and fair elections could be a catalyst for that process.

Mr. Madden

When will the Government acknowledge the sad lesson of history that, on at least seven occasions, successive Governments of Pakistan and India have failed miserably to reach any political agreement on Kashmir? When will the Government encourage the United Nations to intervene? When will a long-lasting and real agreement on Kashmir, based on the resolutions of the United Nations, be an immediate prospect? Will the Minister guarantee that the new Government of India, after taking office, will not be allowed an undue period before such progress is made?

Mr. Hanley

The hon. Gentleman referred to the previous United Nations resolutions. The resolutions of 1948 and 1949—which India and Pakistan agreed to and which the United Kingdom supported—provided the basis of a possible solution of the Kashmir dispute. Regrettably, neither side has fully implemented the resolutions and, to some extent, they have been overtaken by events. The 1972 Simla agreement between India and Pakistan represents the most recent formal agreement of both sides on the handling of their dispute over Kashmir. The agreement envisaged a final solution of the dispute through bilateral negotiations or by any other peaceful means mutually agreed between them. That is what I would urge on any new Government in India, whether it be Mr. Rao's Government or a new Government. I would urge dialogue with Pakistan. That is the only way to make progress.