External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the final resolution of the Kashmir issue will come when the “stolen part” under illegal Pakistani occupation is returned to India.

He made the remarks during a discussion with Bronwen Maddox, Director and CEO of think tank Chatham House in London on Wednesday. He was responding to a question by a journalist reportedly from Pakistan on steps taken by India to resolve the Kashmir issue.

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“Removing Article 370 was step number one; restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir was step number two; and holding elections with a very high turnout was step number three,” the minister said.

“I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir which is under illegal Pakistani occupation. When that is done, I assure you Kashmir will be solved,” he added.

Jaishankar also rejected the idea of any third party involvement when asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi could use his friendly ties with US President Donald Trump to resolve the issue.

When event host Maddox raised the issue of alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, the external affairs minister dismissed them, saying “I think any sort of sweeping concern on human rights is really misplaced. I do not see justification for it at all.”

Besides the Kashmir issue, the Union minister also discussed India’s relationship with its another hostile neighbor, China. He asserted that New Delhi wants a stable relationship with China where its interests are respected and sensitivities recognized.

“We want a stable relationship (with China) where our interests are respected, our sensitivities are recognized, and where it works for both of us. That is really the main challenge in our relationship,” he said.

Referring to the 2020 border standoff in Ladakh, Jaishankar said Chinese actions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) disrupted bilateral relations between India and China.

“There was a certain context for why relations between India and China were disrupted, and the context was what China did along the Line of Actual Control in 2020 and the situation which continued after that…” he said.

“Now in October 2024, we were able to resolve many of the urgent issues, the pending issues, pertaining to what we call the disengagement of troops who had been deployed up front. So after that, you know, there was a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi in Kazan, and I myself met Foreign Minister Wang Yi… our National Security Advisor and our Foreign Secretary have visited China,” he added.

Jaishankar is on an official visit to the United Kingdom and Ireland from March 4 to 9. The EAM also met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. He will also be meeting with his Irish counterpart, Simon Harris, other dignitaries and members of the Indian community, during his visit to Ireland on 06-07 March.

Jaishankar’s visit will provide renewed impetus to India’s friendly ties with both the UK and Ireland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said in a statement.