§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of(a) the extent to which the elections held in Kashmir during May were properly conducted and were free and fair and (b) the accuracy of the official estimates of turnouts; and if he will make a statement. [35032]
§ Mr. Hanley[holding answer 1 July 1996]: Given the complex conditions in the Kashmir valley, we are not in a position to make a clear-cut evaluation of the conduct of the elections, or to say we agree or disagree with the official estimates of turnouts.