India writes to Britain on Kashmir consul

Wednesday, 15 December 2004, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: India has made a written demarche to Britain over its decision to appoint an honorary consul in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir, asserting the region is Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan. Reacting to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's announcement in London Dec 1 about his government's decision to appoint Chaudhary Mohammed Saeed as honorary consul in Mirpur, India conveyed its "protest and displeasure" to the British high commission here in no uncertain terms, a senior official said. "They said it has no political significance and had only been done to facilitate travel by local people to Britain. We still told them we are not happy, we do no like it," the official told IANS. According to reports, Saeed, a local businessman of Mirpur with strong connections with Britain, has been appointed for a five-year period. Jeff Wilson, spokesman for the British high commission, confirmed the mission had received a letter from the Indian government on the appointment of the honorary consul. "We were surprised to see the note," Wilson said, referring to the Indian demarche. "It was a short one." Wilson said the note had come even after the high commission had told the Indian government that the appointment of the honorary consul was purely in response to a "high demand for consular facilities there". According to him, nearly 500,000 people from the area are living in Britain. Wilson said the high commission had conveyed to the Indian government that the appointment did not change Britain's view on the status of the region that is to be mutually resolved by India and Pakistan. People of Mirpur in Britain are an influential group in Straw's parliamentary constituency of Blackburn.
Source: IANS
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