Candidates against bringing Kashmir divide into UK poll

LONDON: The Kashmir issue, against the backof the Indian government’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, has found its way into the General Election campaign in the UK, with candidates warning against bringing the divisions of the subcontinent into play ahead of the December 12 poll.

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn with his wife Laura Alvarez at the National Service of Remembrance in Westminster. His party is being flayed for not condemning pro-Pakistani groups' protests in London. REUTERS

London, November 10

The Kashmir issue, against the backdrop of the Indian government’s revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, has found its way into the General Election campaign in the UK, with candidates warning against bringing the divisions of the subcontinent into play ahead of the December 12 poll.

Social media messages and chat groups are being used by Indian diaspora outfits to try and influence voters, with the Opposition Labour Party facing the brunt of the attacks for its perceived “anti-India” stance since it passed a resolution favouring international intervention in Kashmir.

“I don’t think we are made better off as a country by continuing the divisions of our homelands, instead we should focus on Britain today. Kashmir is a matter for the people of Kashmir and all conflicts must be resolved within the law and Constitution of India,” said Virendra Sharma, a veteran Indian-origin Labour MP.

Sharma hopes to win again from his Ealing Southall constituency from west London – a seat he has held for the party since 2007. “This election is about making a decision about the kind of Britain we want to live in,” he said.

Some of the anti-Labour messages doing the rounds on WhatsApp and Twitter include attacks on the party as being “anti-Hindu” for not condemning protests organised by pro-Pakistani groups in London.

A particular video that is being shared widely depicts a controversial right-wing British journalist being heckled by protesters during the so-called “Free Kashmir” rally on Diwali last month, in an attempt to accuse Labour of blindly supporting “Pakistan’s propaganda” over India’s abrogation of Article 370 to convert the state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories.

“This is extremely worrying,” says Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, the first turbaned Sikh to be elected to the UK Parliament in the 2017 election.

The Labour resolution reads: “Accept that Kashmir is a disputed territory and the people of Kashmir should be given the right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions.” — PTI

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