Conservative Party’s-Bob Blackman MP highlighted the issue of ‘ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits’, their displacement and refugee status in their own country, which, he felt, was of the highest ‘humanitarian’ concern. The Kashmiri Hindu Pandits were forced out in a process of ethnic cleansing and it would be ridiculous to reward those who engaged in ethnic cleansing.” He said “the Shia Muslims do not support the right of self –determination and nor do the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Buddhists, Hindu Dogras, Kashmiri Pandits or Sikhs or Christians. The only issue is that the Muslim population support it, but they are a minority”.

Speaker after speaker echoed this sentiment, thereby drowning out the Pakistani plea that Indian security forces were committing human rights violations against Muslim Kashmiris in Jammu and Kashmir. Though David Ward MP maintained that Britain have some part to play in Kashmir, this stand was roundly rejected by a majority of his fellow MPs.

Those reflecting India’s stance on Kashmir were well prepared. Not only did they seem to have been well briefed through the Briefing Document prepared by The Indo European Kashmir Forum & Hindu Council UK, but had done their own home work. By comparison, the apologists for Islamabad indulged in propaganda, including questioning the legitimacy of elections in Kashmir.