London: The UK has called on all parties involved to take a measured approach and urged de-escalation in the aftermath of the “despicable” terrorist attacks in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives last week.
After an urgent question in the House of Commons, the issue of “Kashmir: Increasing Tension” was debated in the House of Lords this week with peers from across parties voicing their condemnation of the “atrocious attacks” and seeking the Labour Party government’s stance on rising tensions between India and Pakistan in the region.
Provocative incidents during anti-terror protests in the UK were also raised in the House, echoing fears raised in the Commons over community relations between Indian and Pakistani diaspora.
“On Sunday, the Foreign Secretary [David Lammy] spoke to both the Indian Foreign Minister and the Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister. We encourage all parties to take a measured approach,” Lord Ray Collins, a minister in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), stated on behalf of the government.
“We are urging all international organisations to urge de-escalation and proper engagement to de-escalate the situation… We are aware that India and Pakistan have said they will hold certain diplomatic treaties in abeyance. We continue to monitor the impact of that on the ground in both states. It is critical for all actors and international partners to work to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Indus river system, and we will continue to urge that,” he said.
British Indian Conservative peer Baroness Sandy Verma pressed the minister on scenes of a Pakistani diplomat’s “throat-slitting gesture towards Indian demonstrators” outside the country’s high commission in London.
“It would be useful for the UK to send a very clear signal that inciting violence by gestures is not acceptable. We would like to know what the UK government will do,” she said.
The minister stressed that the purpose of such actions was to divide communities.
“That is why we have to respond in a positive way… we condemned any instances of vandalism and called for protesters to protest in a peaceful and law-abiding way. We urge all to de-escalate the situation. We will communicate that at all levels, diplomatically and with local community leaders,” Lord Collins said.
Labour peer Lord Krish Raval asked the minister to spell out and expand on what “standing shoulder to shoulder with India” would look like following the atrocity in Pahalgam on April 22.
“We are going to work with all international and regional partners to ensure that we try to de-escalate and create the conditions where there can be dialogue, which is not taking place at the moment,” the minister reiterated.
Former Foreign Office minister Lord Tariq Ahmad called for more “direct intervention” because the issue involves two nuclear powers that are “possibly on the brink of not just escalation — let us not mince words — but a real risk of war”.
“The situation is incredibly dangerous, which is why it requires all allies to come together to ensure that we de-escalate and do not get to the situation that the noble Lord described,” the minister responded.
