Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the use of high-powered pellet guns against civilian protesters in Kashmir by Indian forces; and what representations they have made to the government of India regarding this issue.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) discussed the use of pellet guns and alternative methods of crowd control in India administered Kashmir with Indian Government representatives in October. The government of India has been reviewing the use of pellet guns in Kashmir. It has yet to make the review's conclusions public, but there are reports that alternative methods of crowd control will be introduced. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. We engage with India on human rights matters and will continue to work collaboratively on the promotion and protection of human rights.