Human Rights in Kashmir

Rachel Hopkins Excerpts

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Westminster Hall

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South and South Bedfordshire) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East (Imran Hussain) for securing this important debate.

Luton South and South Bedfordshire is a vibrant and diverse area. We have residents with far-reaching global connections, which include a large first, second and third-generation British Kashmiri diaspora for whom Luton is home. They have built their lives and raised their children in Luton, but they also maintain very strong familial ties to Kashmir and regularly travel back to see relatives and loved ones.

One recent example of the strong ties between Luton and Kashmir is our community’s remarkable fundraising effort over the past two years. Because of Luton’s close connection to Kashmir, in 2024, UK charity Kids Operating Room approached me and my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) to seek our support for the building of a new paediatric operating theatre in Kotli. Led by local GP Dr Tahir Mehmood, our Luton community and other donors raised more than £300,000 to fund the establishment of a fully equipped children’s operating theatre at District Headquarter hospital in Kotli. The project delivered more than 3,300 pieces of specialist equipment, bringing lifesaving care closer to thousands of children. This powerful intervention from our Luton community to support the universal human right of access to healthcare highlights just how connected our Luton community is with Kashmir and why many of my constituents are deeply concerned about the ongoing human rights abuses in the region.

As my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford East has set out so eloquently, periods of unrest in the region, followed by authoritarian crackdowns, have become increasingly common, and we are once again seeing serious human rights abuses. The latest unrest began after peaceful protests against the Pakistani Government’s proposed electoral changes, which many feared would weaken political representation.

On 5 June, the movement was banned and there were subsequent mobile and internet blackouts. That has resulted in many of my constituents being unable to contact family and loved ones, while British nationals remain stranded in the region without communication or a way to return home. Reports indicate that more than 100 activists and journalists have been arrested, with roadblocks and travel restrictions effectively sealing off the region. Clashes between protesters and police have also resulted in several deaths and many injuries.

While every Government have a responsibility to maintain public safety, over recent years we have seen the unlawful use of tear gas and the use of lethal force, and both protesters and police officers have been killed. It seems to demonstrate a pattern of disproportionate action, preventing freedom of expression, peaceful assembly or access to communication with the outside world.

We are all very aware of the political tensions in Kashmir, and the UK is home to significant diaspora communities of Pakistanis, Indians and Kashmiris. Emerging issues related to Kashmir therefore have the potential to affect our community cohesion here if we do not handle them sensitively.

I know that Ministers are very alive to these issues. Will the Minister ensure that any dialogue and actions relating to events in Kashmir are handled seriously and sensitively and with consideration of the concerns of the diaspora communities? Will she elaborate on what discussions she is having with counterparts in Pakistan to ensure that human rights are being upheld in Kashmir and that communication lines are fully restored? Will she also provide an update on steps being taken to identify and support British nationals who are stuck in the region and to assist them with returning home?

For my constituents, it is vital that we continue to use our influence on the international stage to remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring equal and inalienable rights for all around the world, including Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, and that we call out any Government or regime who infringe upon those rights.

[Several hon. Members rose—]