Ilkley MP Ann Cryer expressed both delight and seething fury during a fact-finding mission to Pakistan earlier this month.

Mrs Cryer said the visit, which she paid for herself, had been something of a culture shock.

"When four of my colleagues and I decided to visit this sub-continent, we wanted the freedom to ask, where necessary, awkward questions and make independent judgements.

"Since we all have large Mirpuri communities we were concerned to visit that area and hear something of the military, political and social consequences of the dispute regarding Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir," she said.

Mrs Cryer also wanted to see at first hand the treatment of the relatives of constituents when applying for visas at the Islamabad High Commission.

The Ilkley MP believed she had a fair understanding of the area, but nothing could have prepared her for her own reactions.

"I spent seven days ricocheting from delight with the warmth of our welcome and the fascination of all that we were seeing and learning, to seething fury at so many injustices and double standards, often, but not entirely, regarding the attitudes to women, not to mention the stark poverty endured," she said.

Mrs Cryer also visited the Ambore refugee camp, the Gari Dupatti displaced persons camp and the line of control near Chakothi - with a briefing by the local army commander.

"At subsequent meetings, I made clear my extreme disquiet at the conditions at both camps.

"Long term we must campaign for a peaceful settlement to the Kashmir dispute so that the people can return to their villages but meanwhile there is no excuse for the dreadful conditions endured, this is the responsibility of the Azad Kashmir and Pakistan governments and I will be writing to them along these lines," said Mrs Cryer.

Mrs Cryer met the Kashmir Prime Minister and the leader of the Mirpuri local authority, visited the Al Shifa Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi - with much of the seven days spent addressing public meetings and discussions with various government ministers.

"I had a full and frank discussion with the Pakistan Foreign Minister, raising with him the position of women, particularly regarding the influence of the Afghan Taliban encroaching into Kashmir and Pakistan, plus the possibility of a third option for Kashmir, that of genuine independence from both Pakistan and India," she said.

Mrs Cryer said Pakistan could have taken the political and moral high ground by refusing to follow India in developing and exploring nuclear weapons.

She said: "I am dismayed by the way India and Pakistan are using the unfortunate people of Kashmir as political pawns and will be writing to both governments through their High Commissions in London."

"The position of Kashmir must be resolved if only so that these two poorest of the world's countries can move resources from defence to the well-being of their people,"said Mrs Cryer.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.