Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the Sikh community was not informed in 2014 that Hugh Powell was conducting the Heywood Review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple, with particular regard to the fact that his father was the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there were grounds for Hugh Powell to recuse himself from the Heywood Review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple considering his father's position as the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impartiality of the Heywood review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple in the light of reports that the father of a senior member of that review was the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the sanctioning of Mian Abdul Haq as a human rights violator on 9 December 2022, what assessment they have made of whether that sanctioning has been successful in preventing the forced conversion and abduction of women and girls from minority communities, and what further representations they have made to the government of Pakistan in this regard.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. Designating Mian Abdul Haq sent a clear message to those responsible that the UK considers this behaviour unacceptable. We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), women and girls' rights and gender equality at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Through our Aawaz programme, we continue to tackle issues of gender-based violence and work directly with communities to raise their awareness of the harms of early and forced marriages.

Found: Singh of Wimbledon 1.