Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Pakistan on the upholding of democratic processes.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK has a longstanding and close relationship with Pakistan. We are aware of the arrest of Imran Khan on 9 May and his subsequent release. We continue to monitor the situation closely. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, on 9 May and to Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 10 and 13 May, where he emphasised the importance of peaceful democratic rights, including the right to protest, adherence to the rule of law, and transparency in legal processes.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the UK-Nigeria partnership on (a) strengthening human rights and (b) supporting efforts to (i) uphold security and (ii) prevent violence against Christians in Nigeria.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Insecurity is impacting Nigerian communities of all faiths and undermining freedom of religion or belief, including in predominately Christian areas. I [Andrew Mitchell] raised the effects of rising insecurity on communities with then presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, in December 2022. The UK is funding peacebuilding projects in several Nigerian states which support community reconciliation by training peace ambassadors and faith leaders. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we monitor the progress and effectiveness of our support to Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. The UK Government looks forward to continuing this partnership at the next annual dialogue later this year. We will continue to help tackle insecurity and promote human rights, and to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the Nigerian Government upholds freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Insecurity is impacting Nigerian communities of all faiths and undermining freedom of religion or belief, including in predominately Christian areas. I [Andrew Mitchell] raised the effects of rising insecurity on communities with then presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, in December 2022. The UK is funding peacebuilding projects in several Nigerian states which support community reconciliation by training peace ambassadors and faith leaders. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we monitor the progress and effectiveness of our support to Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. The UK Government looks forward to continuing this partnership at the next annual dialogue later this year. We will continue to help tackle insecurity and promote human rights, and to encourage the Nigerian Government to assist affected communities and implement long-term solutions.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to his Chinese counterpart on the detainment of citizens, activists and politicians under the national security law in Hong Kong.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have been clear that deliberate targeting of pro-democracy figures, journalists and business people under the National Security Law (NSL) in Hong Kong is unacceptable. Actions by the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities, including the imposition of the NSL, demonstrate China's ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration; a legally binding and international treaty China willingly entered into. As the Foreign Secretary outlined on 25 April, we are entitled to act when China breaks its international obligations and we will raise areas of disagreement with the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. The Foreign Secretary did so with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on 5 May and at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help ensure the safety of Tim Owen in Hong Kong.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Supporting British nationals overseas remains the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's central public service. When British nationals need assistance overseas, our highly trained consular staff are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our staff make an assessment of an individual's vulnerability and needs in order to offer tailored assistance.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has held discussions with Pakistani authorities on potential incidences of violence against peaceful protestors.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Political protests are an internal matter for the Government of Pakistan. There is no place for violence in politics, and the UK regularly engages the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to uphold the rule of law and respect human rights. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, discussed the human rights situation with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of (a) the removal of the former Prime Minister Imran Khan and (b) other recent developments affecting democratic processes in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We respect Pakistan's constitution and do not interfere in its domestic political affairs. We engage regularly with the Government of Pakistan to advance our shared priorities and interests, including on press freedom, human rights and upholding democratic norms.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the Israeli government's decision to (a) revoke the permanent residency of and (b) deport Salah Hammouri.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israel must abide by its obligations under International Humanitarian Law. We continue to call upon the Government of Israel to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of human rights defenders and organisations, and to allow them to freely operate in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon offered the UK's support in efforts to de-escalate the situation on the ground, in his meetings with Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen, Palestinian Prime Minister Shtayyeh and Palestinian Foreign Minister Malki, during his visit to Israel and the OPTs on 10-13 January.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on protecting Hongkongers living in the UK from potential intimidation by the Chinese Government.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK engages with international partners on a range of issues in relation to Hong Kong.
We will not tolerate interference or intimidation in UK communities, including Hong Kong BN(O)s, from any foreign country.
This government is committed in its unwavering support for Hong Kongers that choose to settle in the UK.
Asked by: Sarah Owen (Labour - Luton North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to support the health needs of women in Pakistan in the next financial year.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
UK aid in Pakistan is focused on the most vulnerable, including women and girls. Since 2012, UKAid has reached over 9.7 million family planning users and prevented 8,809 maternal deaths, over 8.08 million unwanted pregnancies, and 1.89 million unsafe abortions in Pakistan. Future Aid prioritisation decisions will be guided by the new UK International Development Strategy to ensure we continue to support women and girls, address increasing global challenges, deliver investment, get humanitarian assistance to those who need it most and continue our work on climate change, nature, and global health.