Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of deaths in Kashmir as a result of covid-19; and whether he has made an assessment of the accuracy of the estimated deaths published by the Indian Government.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, as of 23rd April, there have been 681 Covid-19 related deaths recorded in India, with open source data reporting five deaths in India-administered Kashmir. According to official Government of Pakistan data there have been 51 confirmed cases in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, with no deaths.

India, like the rest of the world, faces challenges compiling accurate data on Covid-19. Key issues include limited testing and reporting on asymptomatic cases; the imposition of a strict lockdown preventing access to health services in some cases, and existing difficulties in routine death reporting.