Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

We follow developments in Kashmir closely. Officials from our High Commissions in Delhi and Islamabad regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with the governments of both India and Pakistan, and travel to the region periodically to see the situation on the ground for themselves.

The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator. We encourage both sides to maintain positive dialogue, but the pace and scope of this is for them to determine.