India dismissed the debate on human rights in Jammu & Kashmir in the British House of Commons saying it was an initiative of back-bencher MPs and did not reflect the position of the United Kingdom government.
Stating that it had taken “due note” of the discussions, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India had sufficient effective mechanisms within its democratic framework to address any grievance or any aberration. “Our views in the matter are known to the U.K. Suffice it to say at this juncture that India is a vibrant democracy, which fully respects rule of law and human rights. Civil liberties and freedoms are enshrined in the Constitution of India as fundamental rights and are exercised by each and every citizen of this country of 1.2 billion people,” said MEA official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash.
Government sources said that should there be any aberration, there were enough effective mechanisms within India's framework to address them. The discussion on the alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir was listed for discussion in the “Backbench Business,” which included a motion relating to food security and famine prevention in Africa.
