Against the backdrop of a diplomatic storm sparked by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's attempt to link the Kashmir problem to terrorism, Britain on Friday said it was for India and Pakistan to resolve the issue through dialogue, and its not for the UK to prescribe a solution.

"Normalisation of India-Pakistan relations is vital for regional security. We continue to urge both India and Pakistan to seek a lasting resolution of the issue of Kashmir which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people," a Foreign Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said.

Miliband triggered a diplomatic row when he wrote in The Guardian during his recent visit to India that the resolution of the dispute over Kashmir would help deny extremists in the region one of their main calls to arms.

Reacting to Miliband's observation, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hagu, had said good relations with India are very important to Britain and must be handled with care and consistency.