It is for India, Pak to find lasting political solution to domestic challenges they face: UK MP

Reiterating India's position that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, British MP Jo Johnson has said that New Delhi and Islamabad should engage to find a lasting "political solution" to their domestic challenges.

The MP of Orpington, Jo, who is a brother of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, further said that it is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator.

"I agree with you that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political solution to the domestic challenges they face. While the wishes of the Kashmiri people should, of course, be taken into consideration, it is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator. I can guarantee you that this long-standing position of the UK is not changing and that I fully support," said Jo in a letter to UK-based banking risk management professional Sunil Jaleen.

"I would loin the UK government in encouraging both countries to find diplomatic solutions to the underlying causes of conflict," he added.

On August 5, India announced its decision to revoke the provisions of Article 370 and passed a Bill bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Jo is the second conservative MP to support the Indian position. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, had said that the constitutional changes in Kashmir were an "internal matter" for India.

In a strongly worded letter addressed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in support of India, Blackman had said: "There is a widely respected convention that we do not interfere in the domestic affairs of a third country, especially a long-standing friend and ally like India."

( With inputs from ANI )