Labour MP urges India to respect Kashmiris’ basic human rights

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Labour MP Tony Lloyd has said he wants to see a change in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir — a “change that respects people’s basic human rights”.

“These are the things we would expect in any part of the world,” he said in a tweet on Thursday. “It’s what we expect for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and it’s what we expect of the Indian government,” the Labour MP for Rochdale said.

Lloyd further said the situation in Kashmir “worries many people around the world”. He added “there are many people who have been desperately worried about the future of their families” in occupied Kashmir. He termed the situation in occupied valley “very, very damaging” after the Indian government stripped the disputed region of its special status which came after a huge deployment of the Indian military in the Valley.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland said reports indicated people lost their lives, blinded with pellet guns, women were assaulted and restrictions imposed upon the movement of people, but little news came out of Kashmir. He said it was important that the world begins to take notice and say to Indian government look, these are basic human rights violations, he said adding: “These human rights violations have got to stop.”—APP/News Desk