§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress there has been in the talks between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydTalks at permanent secretary level between India and Pakistan on Kashmir resumed last month in Islamabad after a gap of over a year. We were encouraged that both sides were prepared to discuss their differences over Kashmir at length. We hope that they will continue their efforts to resolve the Kashmir problem through bilateral dialogue.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is British Government policy that the Simla agreement should form the basis for progress in talks between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydWe continue to believe 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, an improvement in human rights in Kashmir and a genuine political progress there, and an end to external support for violence in Kashmir.