External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the complete resolution of the Kashmir issue would be achieved if Pakistan were to vacate Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
During a session at the Chatham House in London, Jaishankar responded to the question on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi could leverage his relationship with US President Donald Trump to “solve” the Kashmir issue.
“Removing Article 370 was step number one,” Jaishankar said, referencing the Indian government’s 2019 decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
“Then restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir was step number two,” he continued.
Jaishankar further elaborated, “Holding elections, which were done with a very high turnout, was step number three. I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation. When that’s done, I assure you, Kashmir [is] solved.”
Chatham House chief executive Bronwen Maddox, who moderated the discussion, pointed out that several questions were being raised about Kashmir and human rights. Earlier that day, the UK’s House of Commons had conducted a debate titled “Government support for human rights in Jammu and Kashmir,” led by Labour MP Sarah Smith. When asked if the Indian government acknowledges any shortcomings in its human rights record, Jaishankar responded by saying that politically motivated campaigns had often targeted India on this issue.
“There can be situations which require redressal and remedy,” he said, emphasising that India’s human rights record stood strong when compared globally.
“I think any sort of sweeping concern on human rights is really misplaced. I don’t see justification for it at all,” he added.
During the discussion, Jaishankar reiterated the importance of ensuring equal benefits for all Indian citizens — an argument he has previously used to defend the government’s human rights record. He also remarked that in some parts of the world, politics was driven by “creating” and “pandering to” identity-based narratives. However, he maintained that good governance should focus on “treating your citizens equally”.
