Pahalgam attack: UK calls for calm amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions

London: The UK government called for calm and dialogue between India and Pakistan at a time of heightened tensions in the region following the “horrific terrorist attack” in Pahalgam, as the issue was raised in Parliament on Tuesday.

Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer responded to an “Urgent Question” tabled in the House of Commons by British Sikh Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan on the role Britain is playing in supporting India in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

He also raised concerns over the regional tensions spilling over onto UK streets in the form of protests, characterised by provocative language and gestures, including “what appears to be a throat-slitting motion by an alleged Pakistan official” and “windows being smashed” at Pakistan’s High Commission in London.

“The horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April was devastating… We call on all sides, all community leaders and all involved to call for calm at a time of tension in the region,” said Falconer.

“We are aware of reports of the video that my Honourable Friend refers to; the Metropolitan police are investigating, so I will not provide any further commentary on that particular incident, but it is obviously concerning,” he said, with reference to a Pakistani official caught on camera making a threatening gesture towards Indian protesters last week.

“We take seriously our responsibility for the security of all embassies and High Commissions under the Vienna Convention, so both the Pakistani and Indian High Commissions will receive all the support of the UK state to ensure that they stay safe,” the minister said.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel was among the MPs who pressed the minister on “cross-border links to Pakistan among the perpetrators of this terrorist act” and actions being taken to prevent tensions from escalating among communities in the UK.

“We want to see the perpetrators held to justice properly, and we will be supporting India to do so,” Falconer said.

“We are playing our role to try to ensure that tensions do not escalate. Many of us in this House are familiar with the tense and storied history between the two countries. We are friends to them both, and we do not want to see an uncontrolled escalation in tensions,” he said.

The minister reiterated the long-standing UK position that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

“It is not for us to prescribe a solution,” he asserted, calling for “direct dialogue” between both countries.

Several cross-party MPs overwhelmingly condemned the killing of 26 innocent tourists in the terrorist attack last week, with many raising concerns for their Indian and Pakistani diasporas.

“This escalation is unsettling for communities within the UK. British Pakistanis and British Indians are valued parts of our community, but we look to all community and faith leaders to spread the message that now is the time for coming together across religious and ethnic differences, not to play out the tensions between two states on the streets of the UK, and we will continue to send that message,” stated Falconer.

He was also asked to address the BBC’s reference to the attack as “militancy”, to which he responded: “I resist calls for ministers to police the BBC’s language too much, but let me be clear: this was a horrific terrorist attack, and that is the view of the British government.”