Raminder Ranger aka Rami Ranger, who was recently nominated to the House of Lords by former British Prime Minister Theresa May, has said that Kashmir is one of the most important issues that he wants to undertake.
In an interview with India Today, Ranger said besides Kashmir, another grave concern for him is the increasing divide between the Pakistani and the Indian community in the United Kingdom.
Ranger cited violent protests by Pakistani supporters at High Commission of India London on August 15 and September 3 as worrying.
Believing that human rights is an issue that works both ways, Ranger said he will try and use his good offices to explain the issue of human rights to the government.
After the revocation of Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, there has been a shift in Britain’s position.
Earlier, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Dominic Raab expressed concern over the situation in Kashmir while addressing the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, and said that Britain will keep a “close eye” on it.
He also said that while Kashmir is a “bilateral matter” between India and Pakistan but, he said, “human rights is an international matter”.
Also, ‘Referendum 2020,’ and ‘use of violence in peaceful protest,’ too, are the most important issues that Ranger wants to undertake.
Referendum 2020 is a demand of independent Punjab or Khalistan by radical factions of the Sikh community in the United Kingdom. Ranger, who believes in Sikhism, said he completely disagrees with their position and worries about the disrepute that this will bring to the Sikh community.
Thanking Theresa May for her acknowledgment, Ranger said he would dedicate this honour to the friendship between Pakistan, India and the UK and work tirelessly for peace and harmony.
Rami Ranger, Chairman of Conservative Friends of India and founder of Sun Mark Ltd, is widely known as a survivor of partition chaos in 1947. In 1971, he moved to UK to study law.
He launched his business with just 2 pounds in the pocket in 1987 and a second-hand typewriter, according to reports by Asian Lite International.
He is also the chairman of the British Sikh Association that earlier this year signed a memorandum with the Hashoo Group of Pakistan to develop infrastructure along the Kartarpur corridor.