Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the disappearance of Pakistani youth activist Amar Fayaz on 8 November 2020; and whether he has made representations to his Pakistani counterpart on that issue.

The UK is greatly relieved to hear reports that Amar Fayaz was released earlier this month. The UK Government strongly condemns any instances of enforced disappearances. We urge states to fully investigate any allegations, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families. We regularly raise at a senior level our concerns about the human rights situation with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, the Minister of State for South Asia and Minister for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised concerns about human rights with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 16 November and with Pakistan's Special Advisor to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for the Interior, Shahzad Akbar, on 7 December