Imran Khan: Imprisonment

Lord Sikka Excerpts

Wednesday 25th February 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Sikka (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, we have plenty of time. We will hear first from the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, and then we will come to the Labour Benches.

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

We want those imprisoned, particularly when they are undergoing such intensive medical treatment, as I believe has happened—I think a successful operation took place in January, and there has been further treatment since—to have access to family members, whether through visits or other means. That is important at times like these. This is slightly complicated by the fact that, as the noble Lord will appreciate, decisions about the Pakistan immigration system are controlled by the Pakistani Government, but we make the general case that we would want to see access to family for anyone held in such circumstances.

[Lord Sikka (Lab)]

My Lords, successive Governments show selective outrage at repression by authoritarian states such as China, Iran, Russia and North Korea, but offer very soft criticism when identical acts are committed by trade and defence partners. The Government have the tools: they can exert pressure on the army generals controlling Pakistan by ending aid and imposing trade sanctions, but they have not. Can the Minister refer me to any moral principle guiding the Government’s foreign policy?