LONDON: India has refuted the charge by some British politicians that New Delhi is preventing access to Kashmir and asserted that journalists representing foreign news media make regular visits to the valley.

Indian high commissioner LM Singhvi said this in a rejoinder to a joint letter to the editor in “The Times’ from a group of people including Max Madden a Labour Member of Parliament from the Muslim dominated constituency of Bradford.

Singhvi also denied as “unsubstantiated and baseless” accusation that more than 4000 Kashmiris have been “murdered by the Indian

He said the allegations were investigated by three different authorities at different levels and found to be unsustainable “1 may add that in India the conclusions reached by official investigations are subject to rigorous independent judicial review entailing punishment in cases of Human: Rights Lapses” he said in his rejoinder published in “The Times”. Singhwi said strangely enough the signatories to the letter have chosen to overlook the “atrocities” of terrorism in Kashmir including countless killings and kidnappings.

“in the name of self-determination secessionist militants and armed terrorists are responsible for wanton violation of the human rights of millions of innocent Kashmiri-Hindy Sikh and Muslims-many of whom may have had to flee to other parts of India to save their fives and honor” the high commissioner said.

The British politicians belonging to the ruling conservative as well as the opposition labor party in the last few weeks have been vying with each other in espousing the cause of secessionists in Kashmir and Punjab apparently with an eye on the Muslim and Sikh votes which area decisive factor in a large number of council seats for the local bodies elections was scheduled for May ll

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The estimated two million Asian population including about one million Muslims from India Pakistan Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh over 400000 Sikhs from Punjab and about 300000 Gujarat is from east Africa are considered an important factor in the British elections.

The general elections though scheduled mid-next year could be advanced to Autumn this year.

Some British politicians have floated a Kashmir sub-committee of the parliamentary human rights group with the objective of “helping to restore human fights in Kashmir including the right of self-determination’.

The formation of the group was announced at a meeting in the house of Commons convened by Lord Avebury Chairman of the parliamentary human rights group. It elected Mr Max Madden the labor MP as chairman sir John Wheller MP as vice-chairman and Alan ‘Mealo MP as secretary.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 10, 1991