§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department provides for Kashmiri refugees in Pakistan. [102495]
§ Clare ShortWe are not currently providing any assistance for these refugees, but would be willing to consider doing so if a suitable channel for our funds could be identified. At present, neither the UN High Commissioner for Refugees nor the International Committee of the Red Cross is operating on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control.
So far as bilateral assistance is concerned, our freedom and ability to operate effectively is constrained by the difficult security and other circumstances which prevail there. However, two British non-governmental organisations have been assessing the humanitarian needs in the region, and we await their reports.