Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister intends to raise the issue of Kashmir with the government of India during her forthcoming visit to India.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) will discuss a variety of topics with Prime Minister Modi on her first overseas bilateral visit. The UK has a very close relationship with India through which we discuss a wide range of issues.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to find a lasting and peaceful solution for Kashmir.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
As the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) said in the House of Commons on 18 October, the UK's long-standing position, held by successive Governments of all hues, is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as mediator.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any military equipment exported from the UK to India is being used against the civilians of Kashmir.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are concerned to see reports of excessive violence against protesters in Kashmir.
The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.
In light of media reports on the situation in Indian Administered Kashmir (IaK), we have undertaken checks regarding shotguns being licensed to the Indian Security Forces (ISF) in IaK covering the last 10 years. We are confident from these checks undertaken that no such weapon has been licensed to this specific force in IaK.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant information available at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued, for any country, including India, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria, including where we assess there is a clear risk that the items might be used to facilitate internal repression.
The Government is confident in our case by case assessment and routinely keeps factors relevant to the licensing of arms exports under active review. Ministers are consulted as necessary in the event of any significant changes in the circumstances relating to UK-licensed exports.
Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changed circumstances, with the option to suspend or revoke any licence where we consider this a necessary step.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of India about allowing a delegation of members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir for a fact-finding visit to Jammu and Kashmir in the immediate future.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our missions across the globe have received many successful and worthwhile APPG visits by Parliamentarians with a strong record of interest in the relevant country. As with the British public, we encourage all Parliamentarians to study FCO travel advice when planning any travel. The FCO currently advises against all travel to certain parts of Kashmir.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of India encouraging it to (1) ratify the UN Convention against Torture and its optional protocols; and (2) permit a visit to India, including Jammu and Kashmir, by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK engages on human rights matters with India, both bilaterally and through the EU-India Human Rights dialogue. We continue to call on the Indian government to expedite the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, and adopt robust domestic legislation to this effect. The UK made a specific recommendation on this issue during India’s Universal Periodic Review in May 2012. The EU Delegation in Delhi has also hosted a number of events on the importance of ratifying the Convention.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had discussions with local government organisations in Jammu and Kashmir about the unmarked graves in north Kashmir where civilians or combatants were buried between 2006 and 2009.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK has not had discussions with local government organisations about this issue.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that effective pressure is brought to bear on local government organisations in Jammu and Kashmir to expedite arrangements to treat civilians reportedly injured or hospitalised in violence in the state during July and August.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I was saddened by reports of unrest and violence in Kashmir in July and August and again offer my condolences to the victims and their families. The UK abides by its commitments under international law and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that any civil or military co-operation between the UK and the government of India does not contribute to human rights abuses in Kashmir.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are committed to working with India to deliver prosperity and security for our nations. This includes growing trade links, supporting economic reform, deepening our cooperation on security and counter terrorism, encouraging student exchange and strengthening bilateral links. We ensure that such cooperation supports the UK’s values and is consistent with our domestic and international human rights obligations.
Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India about the reported killing and injuring of civilians by the Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I am deeply saddened by recent reports of unrest in Kashmir and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. We have not made any representations to the government of India on this issue.Asked by: Lord Ahmed (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of Saddam Hussein’s elite guards and soldiers who have joined ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Government does not hold figures for the number of former military personnel from Saddam Hussein’s regime that joined Daesh. However, there are credible reports of several ex-Ba’athist senior military officials and personnel with weapons expertise having joined Daesh.