UK calls for lasting solution to Kashmir dispute

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday urged longtime rivals India and Pakistan to resume a stalled peace process and look for a permanent solution to the decades-long dispute over divided Kashmir.

At a press conference in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart, Johnson called for an end to the violence in the disputed Himalayan region, where in recent months there have been frequent clashes along the dividing boundary, known as the Line of Control.

"Of course we are concerned about recent incidents on both sides of the Line of Control in Kashmir and we call for an end to the violence," he said. "Look at the incredible human potential of Pakistan and its neighbors and then imagine what the future could be like if this was sorted out."

On his first trip to Pakistan since taking his role in the British government, Johnson said the countries had not fully exploited opportunities to improve business ties, suggesting they could potentially take the annual trade volume to £2.5 million ($3.1 million).

Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz said he discussed alleged human rights violations in the Indian-held Kashmir, where more than 100 civilians have been killed in clashes with Indian forces, and shared Islamabad’s view on the situation.

Johnson is also expected to meet President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since the region was partitioned, to create Pakistan, in 1947 as the British withdrew after almost two centuries of direct and indirect rule in the Indian subcontinent.

Two of the wars have been fought over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region divided between the two regional powers and which both claim in its entirety.