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Labour does U-turn, disowns Corbyn's anti-India stance

New Delhi/London, Nov 12


In a move that is surely going to embarrass Jeremy Corbyn, the Chair of the Labour Party Ian Lavery has outrightly disowned Corbyn's views on Jammu and Kashmir.

In a letter, Lavery said he "recognise" that the language used in the emergency motion has caused offence in not just sections of the Indian diaspora but in India itself. Chalking out the "official position" of the labour party, to which Corbyn belongs, Lavery said, "Kashmir is a bilateral matter for India and Pakistan to resolve together by means of a peaceful solution..." He added that Labour Party's official position on Kashmir remains the same as was stated by its National Policy Forum in its annual report for 2019.

In a detailed statement that will surely leave Corbyn, who is known for his anti-India stance, searching for cover, Lavery said, "The Labour Party holds the Indian diaspora community in the highest regard. We respect and celebrate the immense contribution which Indians of all backgrounds have made to the UK in business, medicine, the arts and so many other fields. I am proud that Labour counts many people of Indian origin at all levels of our party and the broader labour movement."

Reiterating that the party seeks not to take any position that can be construed either anti-Indian or anti-Pakistan, he expressed hope that "and I am confident that this is a position you will share."

The Labour Party on September 25 had passed an emergency motion on Kashmir. It had called for its leader Corbyn to seek international observers and 'enter' the region to demand the Kashmiris' supposed right to self-determination. It drew flak with at least 100 British-Indian professionals condemning the stance of the party.