Tag: Lord Ahmed

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reports of  the use of chemical weapons against the Turkmen village, Taza in Southern Kirkuk, killing children and injuring 617 people, including 17 who are in critical condition.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of allegations that Daesh attacked the village of Taza on the morning of 8 March 2016 with a chemical agent, possibly sulphur mustard. There have been reports of multiple casualties, including the death of a young girl. We unreservedly condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is supporting the Government of Iraq to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-state actors. The UK is at the forefront of pressing for an effective international response to the use of chemical weapons through the UN Security Council and the OPCW.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-06-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have gathered any evidence of Iranian fighters in Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is on the ground in both advisory and combat roles in Iraq and that Iran is providing significant funding, training and equipment to elements of Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Along with our international partners, the UK has consistently made clear that there is a role for all of Iraq’s neighbours in helping defeat Daesh. We have no difficulty with contributions from around the region to the goal of ridding Iraq of the Daesh threat, provided that those contributions are authorised by the Iraqi government. We will continue to work closely with our international partners to encourage all of Iraq’s neighbours to play a transparent and constructive role in its affairs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of whether there are tensions between the British Pakistani/Kashmiri community and the British Indian/Hindu community in (1) London, and (2) Leicester.

Lord Bates

The operational policing of protests and demonstrations are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. As is the case with visits of this nature, careful plans have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of the visit by the Prime Minister of India, in discussion with the Indian High Commission. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed under UK law and we respect protesters’ rights to express their views peacefully. As part of the planning for the visit the police will have assessed any issues which could give rise to public disorder and will have factored this into their planning accordingly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in relation to defending Turkmen civilians.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of reports that Turkmen civilians have been targeted by Daesh in Iraq, as well as Christians, Yazidis, Muslims and others. In October the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), met the President of the Iraqi Turkmen Front to discuss the situation for Turkmen in Iraq.

We condemn in the strongest terms the targeting and persecution of all communities by Daesh. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional government to do all they can to ensure the security and rights of all Iraqis.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-07-13.

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.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there are any tensions within the South Asian community in the UK due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London.

Lord Bates

The operational policing of protests and demonstrations are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. As is the case with visits of this nature, careful plans have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of the visit by the Prime Minister of India, in discussion with the Indian High Commission. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed under UK law and we respect protesters’ rights to express their views peacefully. As part of the planning for the visit the police will have assessed any issues which could give rise to public disorder and will have factored this into their planning accordingly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 21 March (HL7044), whether (1) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (2) the Prime Minister’s Office, or (3) any other government institution, have received any representations from the government of India about not pursuing the money-laundering case against MQM.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Bates, of 21 March 2016 [HL7024]. I am informed that no records have been identified by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and No 10 of any such representations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-09-05.

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.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any communications regarding a demonstration planned by the Awaaz Network against the visit to London by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lord Bates

The operational policing of protests and demonstrations are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. As is the case with visits of this nature, careful plans have been put in place to ensure the safety and security of the visit by the Prime Minister of India, in discussion with the Indian High Commission. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed under UK law and we respect protesters’ rights to express their views peacefully. As part of the planning for the visit the police will have assessed any issues which could give rise to public disorder and will have factored this into their planning accordingly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of visitor visa applications received from (1) India, and (2) Pakistan, in the last six months; and what was the success rate in each case.

Lord Keen of Elie

For July to December 2015, there were 155,928 and 40,985 Entry clearance visitor visa applications from Indian and Pakistani nationals. Of the cases resolved (granted, refused, withdrawn or lapsed) in the same period, the proportion granted was 86% and 47% respectively. The information is provided in the table.

The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, October-December 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics