Kashmir campaign

This file largely contains correspondence between members of the Indian Workers Association and the Labour MPs Gerald Kaufman and Clare Short on the political situation in Kashmir and the Labour Party position on the ways to resolve this, but also contains a transcript of an interview between Avtar Jouhl and 'Dr Ayub', a Kashmiri exile, about the region. Most of the papers date from late 1991 and early 1992, but there is also some material dating from 1995

Papers consist of:

/1 photocopy of a letter printed in the 'Asian Times' 8 May 1990 from Shams Rehman, Secretary of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, Oldham branch, on the lack of coverage in the newspaper on the issue of Kashmir, and 'the struggle of the Kashmiri people for freedom and national independence in the Indian occupied part of Kashmir'

/2 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl to Bill Grey, Chairperson of Personnel and Equal Opportunity Committee, Birmingham City Council requesting a meeting in connection with Grey's recent visit to Kashmir, 4 October 1990

/3-/9 correspondence between Avtar Jouhl and Prem Singh of the Indian Workers Association, and Neil Kinnock, Leader of the Labour Party and Gerald Kaufman, Shadow Foreign Secretary, concerning Labour Party policy on Kashmir 1991-1992, including a Labour party statement on Kashmir. One of the letters from Gerald Kaufman to Avtar Jouhl includes a newspaper article printed in 'Karachi News' which quotes Kaufman's views and the intention of the Labour Party to bring the issue of Kashmir to the top of the political agenda when elected to government

/10 letter from Matthew Hooberman, Gerald Kaufman's research assistant, to Avtar Jouhl, confirming arrangements for a meeting between the MP and members of the Indian Workers Association planned for 17 December 1991

/11-/12 press release and information circular to members issued by the Indian Workers Association giving an account of discussions between Gerald Kaufman and Avtar Jouhl, Harpal Brar, Harsev Bain and Jagdeep Khera on the issue of Kashmir, 20 December 1991

/13 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl to Gerald Kaufman referring to the discussion between him and Indian Workers Association members about Kashmir and inaccurate newspaper reporting on this issue, 30 December 1991

/14-/15 letter from Gerald Kaufman to Avtar Jouhl discussing the issue of inaccurate newspaper reports about himself, and attaching a further statement of his views about Kashmir, 6 January 1992

/16-/17 handwritten notes taken by Avtar during a meeting with Dr Ayub, a Kashmiri exile, and a transcript of the interview that took place between them, probably sometime in 1992

/18 report from Clare Short to all members of the Ladywood Constituency Labour Party on Clause 4, the reorganisation of the Ladywood Constituency Labour Party and the situation in Kashmir following her visit to Pakistan, 1 February 1995

/19 copy letter from Avtar Jouhl to Clare Short in which he states that he is enclosing copies of the Kaufman correspondence between the Indian Workers Association and Gerald Kaufman to enable her to report accurately the facts about Kashmir, 13 February 1995

/20 letter from Clare Short to Avtar Jouhl in reply to allegations made in letters she received since she distributed a short report about her trip to Kashmir, 12 April 1995

/21 photocopies of a newspaper reports in Punjabi about the crisis in Kashmir and the need for political initiative to resolve the situation, July 1995