JAIPUR: At a special event in Jaipur, senior British Member of Parliament Bob Blackman made an unequivocal statement on Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that the entire region should be an integral part of India.
Speaking at a high-tea programme held at the Constitutional Club in Jaipur, Blackman said his demand for the abrogation of Article 370 predates the Narendra Modi government's 2019 decision by nearly three decades. He said his position was shaped in the early 1990s, particularly after the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley.
"I didn’t just talk about abrogating Article 370 when Prime Minister Modi included it in his manifesto and implemented it. I said this in 1992, when Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of Jammu and Kashmir," Blackman remarked.
Opposing Pakistan’s control over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the British MP said the region was under illegal occupation and stressed that the entire region of Jammu and Kashmir should be reunited with India.
It is notable that on August 5, 2019, Article 370 was abrogated, bringing an end to Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and fully integrating the region into the constitutional framework of India.
Recalling his activism in the UK during the early 1990s, Blackman said efforts were made to highlight the injustice faced by the displaced Kashmiri Pandit community. "We held a large meeting at that time to tell people that this was wrong, that it was an injustice that people were being driven out of their ancestral homes simply because of their religion," he said.
This is not the first time Blackman has drawn attention for his strong pro-India stance. Earlier, he had come into focus for his remarks condemning the terror attack in Pahalgam. "I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people. My deepest condolences are with the families of the victims," he had said.
Blackman stated that Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation, was believed to be behind the attack and appealed to the British government to fully support India in apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
In March 2025, the Conservative Party MP also called on the British government to formally apologise to the people of India for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Raising the issue in the British Parliament, he said an apology should be issued before April 13. Ahead of the 106th anniversary of the massacre, Blackman shared a video of his speech on social media.
"In Jallianwala Bagh, on the day of Baisakhi, people had gathered peacefully with their families. General Dyer, on behalf of the British Army, ordered troops to fire on innocent people until their ammunition ran out," he said, adding that the British government should formally acknowledge the wrongdoing and apologise to India.
Earlier last year, Blackman also raised in Parliament the incident in London in which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s car was surrounded by Khalistani supporters. Condemning the incident, he said the attack was an insult to democracy and to India, a close friend and ally of the UK.
"India’s External Affairs Minister was attacked as he was leaving a public venue. This is against the Geneva Convention, and it appears that security forces failed to ensure his safety," Blackman said, urging the British government to make a statement on the security measures being taken to ensure the safety of foreign dignitaries visiting the country.
