London: After India launched strong protests over British government allowing Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to hold a conference on Kashmir inside the British Parliament Complex in London, a UK foreign office spokesman confirmed that there are no plans for meetings between the government and the Pakistani minister. 

“We understand Mr Qureshi is travelling to London to attend a number of private events. There are no plans for meetings with the UK government during this visit and he is not a guest of the government,” said the spokesperson. 

This decision came after a few days of Indian external affairs minister spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stating that the government expects UK to address the issue as the aim of the conference was clearly to undermine territorial sovereignty and integrity.

The conference, according to the latest reports, will be attended by British MPs. Qureshi is also expected to attend an exhibition on “human rights violations in Kashmir”. 

Times of India reported that a source confirmed that there were some meetings planned between the foreign minister and the British government, but they got cancelled after India protested. 

However, both the events (the conference and the exhibition), which are coinciding with the Kashmir Solidarity Day, are going to take place despite the protests. 

Kashmir Solidarity Day is observed on February 5 every year and is a public holiday in Pakistan.