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Straw talks of human rights 'deficit'
in J&K

"Our engagement is going to continue," he said, adding, "the resolution of the Kashmir issue lies in the hands of India and Pakistan."

"It [British engagement] is a constant process, but precisely what progress can be made depends on the realities on the ground and the key is an end to cross-border infiltration and then a climate in Jammu and Kashmir in which elections can take place," Straw told BBC Newsonline.

"And on the Pakistani side, action to deal with terrorist camps and on the Indian side more action to deal with the human rights deficit in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Straw, who is visiting India and Pakistan later this month, welcomed the steps taken by Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh to make the polls transparent, "including an open invitation to foreign diplomats, for journalists and individuals working for NGOs".

"It was a very important announcement, which may help ensure that there is a proper focus on the fairness of elections. Of course, that has to go alongside a security situation, which needs to be improved if people are able to feel free to vote," he said.

Asked what could be done to verify that cross-border infiltration had stopped, the foreign secretary said, "There has been some progress. It is an inherently intrinsically difficult issue. There are various approaches one can use and what we try and do is pool all available information to make the best judgements that we can, but it is difficult."

Asked how he hoped to convince the leadership of the two countries to resolve their conflict, he said, "Like the United States, in this situation, we have influence, but we do not have the power and that is quite proper because we are dealing with two very large sovereign states here."

"What we can do is to encourage both sides initially to take steps to de-escalate tension along the Line of Control and then, over time, to encourage them to dialogue," he said.

PTI

Terrorism Strikes in Jammu and Kashmir: The complete coverage

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