No room for third party in Kashmir dispute, India says after debate in UK Parliament
All issues between Delhi and Islamabad are to be resolved bilaterally and peacefully, said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
India on Thursday took note of the three-hour Kashmir debate held in the British House of Commons, and said, “there is no room for third party” in the dispute. Delhi said the issues between India and Pakistan could be resolved bilaterally, reported Hindustan Times.
“All issues between India and Pakistan are to be resolved bilaterally and peacefully in accordance with the Simla Agreement and Lahore Declaration,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson spokesperson Vikas Swarup told The Times of India. India reiterated its stand on the issue even as the United Kingdom said that it was for the governments of the two countries to find a solution to the longstanding disputes.
The debate was led by Conservative Party MP David Nuttall. As many as 19 MPs, including Virendra Sharma, Bob Blackman, Nusrat Ghani and Shabana Mahmood, spoke about “escalation in violence and breaches of international human rights on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir”. British Foreign Office Minister Alok Sharma noted that the border state had a complex history. “India and Pakistan are both longstanding and important friends of the United Kingdom and we have significant links to both countries through diapora communities. We also have strong bilateral relations with both countries,” Sharma said.