Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he and his Department have had with the (a) Indian and (b) Pakistani governments on the situation in Kashmir.

We are aware of an escalation of incidents between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir. The Government has had conversations with Indian and Pakistani counterparts and urged calm and restraint on both sides.

The UK's long-standing position, held by successive Governments, is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation, 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.