New Delhi: In the face of massive backlash from the Indian diaspora in Britain, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Thursday took a relenting stand on his party's resolution about the Jammu and Kashmir situation saying that its language is open to misinterpretation.
In a letter addressed to the Labour Friends of India, a lobby group within the Labour party, Corbyn said that "some of the language" used in the resolution was open to misinterpretation
"Labour understands the concerns the Indian community in Britain has about the situation in Kashmir and takes these concerns very seriously," a report in the newspaper Hindustan Times quoted his letter.
Corbyn's change in stance comes after he met with Congress's UK unit and discussed the Jammu and Kashmir issue. He had called for a "de-escalation and an end to the cycle of violence and fear which has plagued the region for so long" in a statement written alongside an image of him with a group of Congress Party UK delegates.
Then on Friday, the Opposition Leader said that although Labour Party is committed to ensuring the rights of Kashmir's citizens, it remains priority that they not allow the politics of the "sub-continent to divide communities in Britain",
He also offered to meet with lobby groups from the Indian diaspora, stressing on its "historically good relationship" with India.
The resolution that stirred controversy both within India and the Indian community in Britain, had demanded the restoration of basic human rights in Kashmir, "including the freedom of speech and communication, the lifting of curfews".
The BJP has remained especially critical and even lashed out at the Congress over its "shameful shenanigans" for meeting with Corbyn. The Ministry of External Affairs had also brought out a statement against the resolution, terming is as "misinformed and unfounded" and claimed that it only pandered to the party's vote-bank interests.
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