After the Labour Party of the United Kingdom on Wednesday adopted a motion claiming a “major humanitarian crisis” in the “disputed territory” of Jammu and Kashmir, a fuming Government of India accused it of “pandering to vote-bank interests”.
The High Commission of India in London too reacted angrily, cancelling a dinner it was to host for the Labour Party’s leaders.
The Labour Party adopted the motion in its annual conference at Brighton on the south coast of England.
It asked party leader Jeremy Corbyn to ensure that someone from the party is represented to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council to demand "restoration of basic human rights including the freedom of speech and communication, the lifting of curfews (in Kashmir).”
It also noted that Kashmir was a disputed territory and the people of Kashmir should be given the right of self-determination in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations.
“(The) Government has noted certain developments at the Labour Party Conference on September 25, pertaining to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in New Delhi.
“We regret the uninformed and unfounded positions taken at this event. Clearly, this is an attempt at pandering to vote-bank interests. There is no question of engaging with the Labour Party or its representatives on this issue."