London, Sep 26: United Kingdom (UK) opposition Labour Party’s members of parliament unanimously passed a controversial resolution on Kashmir issue during their party conference held on Wednesday in Brighton.
The emergency motion called on party head Jeremy Corbyn to seek an international intervention in the region and demand the fundamental basic rights of “self-determination” for Jammu and Kashmir people.
“The conference urges the Labour Party to ask Jeremy Corbyn or ensure someone is represented to attend the UNHRC to demand the restoration of basic human rights including the freedom of speech and communication, the lifting of curfews, and to allow the humanitarian aid organization and international observers to enter the region,” reads the resolution.
The motion was tabled on Tuesday by Leyton and Wanstead and Nottingham East Constituency and passed on Wednesday, according to The Week.
The motion also called for Corbyn to hold a meeting with both Pakistan and India’s high commissioners in order to ensure “mediation”, as well as, restoration of stability and peace to avert any potential nuclear spat.
Reacting to the controversial resolution, Labour’s India Community Engagement Forum said the UK party had been “hijacked by a coalition of left extremists and jihadi sympathisers”.
The development comes in defiance of India’s stance Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter and no foreign intervention is needed.
On Wednesday, India slammed the UK resolution with ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar terming the move as an attempt “pandering to vote-bank interests”.
British Pakistani Uzma Rasool from Leyton, referring to POK as “Pakistan-administrated Kashmir”, said Kashmir had faced “72 years of human rights violations, of gang rapes and mass rapes by armed forces, and pellet gun injuries”.
She added, “We must urgently request India opens access so humanitarian agencies can go in and provide help. This is now a major crisis. We cannot allow a century of oppression to take place. For too long, we have said Kashmir is a bilateral issue but the Kashmiri people need intervention.”
The Indian high commission in London also cancelled its annual reception on Tuesday night with Labour friends of India immediately after a debate on the resolution. “We cancelled it. The reason was because of the motion,” a senior Indian diplomat told TOI.
MEA spokesperson Kumar said, “We regret these uninformed and unfounded positions … Clearly, it’s an attempt at pandering to vote-bank interests. There is no question of engaging with the Labour Party or its representatives on this issue.”