The Government carefully considered the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Human Rights’ report on transnational repression (TNR) and responded formally on 30 October 2025.

The Government’s approach to TNR is designed to capture the full range of behaviours and victims, ensuring flexibility in responding to the threat and avoiding the risk of stigmatising communities. The Government agrees that the approach to TNR must remain responsive to the evolving nature of the threat and that it keeps this under regular review, informed by operational insights and ongoing engagement with civil society organisations and trusted networks.

GOV.UK guidance has recently been updated, alongside guidance issued by the National Security Protective Authority, providing practical advice for individuals who believe they may be at risk, including steps to help keep them safe both physically and online.

We are aware of the human rights concerns raised about the activities of the Crime Control Department in Punjab, and we are monitoring the situation closely. Promoting human rights and the rule of law is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan, and we consistently urge the Pakistani authorities to investigate and address any breaches of those standards. Through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), we are also supporting progress on human rights in Pakistan through dialogue, technical assistance, and targeted programming.

Protecting and promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, raised the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 30 January. On 9 January, Minister of State for Development Andrew Mitchell raised the issue with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to engage at a senior level with government representatives and civil society, including on recent attacks on Ahmadi mosques.

The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship. We remain committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all and promoting respect and tolerance between communities. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level. Human rights forms part of that dialogue. Our networks across India regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting human rights.

We are not aware of any internet blackouts in the State of Punjab. Broadband services continue to operate as normal. The Punjab Government suspended all mobile internet services and some SMS and dongle in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab from 19 March 2023 at 12:00. Mobile internet and SMS services have since been restored in all districts except Tarn Taran and Ferozepur. Broadband services have remained operational throughout.

We offer consular support and assistance to British nationals worldwide. Any individual in need of consular assistance can contact the nearest British High Commission or Consulate. Our travel advice provides consular contact numbers which, as always, are available 24/7.

The number of new assistance cases in India in each of the last 6 months is:

Figures for the state of Punjab are not available as our current case management system does not enable us to isolate data to a sub-national level.

We offer consular support and assistance to British nationals worldwide. Any individual in need of consular assistance can contact the nearest British High Commission or Consulate. Our travel advice provides consular contact numbers which, as always, are available 24/7.

We are not aware of any internet blackouts in the State of Punjab. Broadband services continue to operate as normal. The Punjab Government suspended all mobile internet services and some SMS and dongle in the territorial jurisdiction of Punjab from 19 March 2023 at 12:00. Mobile internet and SMS services have since been restored in all districts except Tarn Taran and Ferozepur. Broadband services have remained operational throughout.

The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship, including any issues where we have them.

As I mentioned in answer to a previous question, when it comes to other issues, including human rights and freedom of the press, these are conversations we also have with our friends and colleagues around the world. We cannot deal with all these issues with free trade agreements.

Further to the negotiations for a free trade agreement with India, can the Minister perhaps update the House on the impact of the closure of the internet in the state of Punjab over the last week, and the reduction in freedom of expression for the majority of the Sikh population of that state?

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working around the clock, through our Posts overseas and in London, to make sure all British travellers who need and want to return to the UK are receiving the support and information they need. We have now brought home over 33,600 people on 162 flights organised by the Foreign Office from 32 countries and territories.

India is a priority for the UK Government and we have been working closely with both airlines and the government of India to ensure British travellers can return home.

As of 26 May, we have brought home over 17,000 people from 11 locations in India, including Amritsar and Punjab. These have carried almost all of those in India who registered, are eligible, and took up the option of a flight when given the chance to do so. We continue to review and assess both the demand for flights and the situation in India and our consular teams are supporting British travellers who have not been able to fly.

With support from DFID, the Government of Punjab is revising and improving primary and secondary textbooks through the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board. This process aligns textbooks with the 2006 National Curriculum and removes content that promotes prejudice and discrimination against religious or other minorities. New textbooks promote a positive portrayal of women and girls. These revisions continue across subjects and grade textbooks. An independent evaluation of the reformed curriculum in 2013 confirmed it to be based on the values of democracy and pluralism. DFID carries out an assessment of the effectiveness of Board’s work every year during the Annual Review of the overall Punjab Education Sector Programme.

The Prime Minister recently completed his first visit to India in three years. Representing as I do a Wolverhampton constituency, I have a significant Punjabi diaspora community in my constituency. May I highlight to the Front Bench the real issue of drug misuse in Punjab, particularly among young men? Given Britain’s expertise in rehabilitation, may I urge the Foreign Office, along with the Department for International Development, to provide British expertise in this area?

We will take a look at that. The Prime Minister’s visit to India was certainly very successful. We have greatly strengthened our relations with India with the Prime Minister’s three visits and all the other work we have done. My hon. Friend draws attention to an important issue, and I undertake to him that we will look at it in more detail.

At a national level 4 million children in primary education will be benefiting from DFID support by 2015. We are seeing real progress across the country. DFID technical assistance through the Punjab School Reform Roadmap, which was launched in 2011, has seen at least 1 million additional children enrolled in pre-school and school, average student attendance up 9% to 92% and teacher absenteeism down from 19% to 9%. In Khyber Pakthunkwa we have distributed 400,000 stipends to girls and supported Parent Teacher Councils to provide basic facilities in 6,982 schools. We are also looking to expand our support in Sindh and through the Education Fund for Sindh, over 18,000 children have been supported.

Responsibility for education in Pakistan is devolved to provincial level, and DFID education programmes are designed to meet the needs of individual provinces. As a result, interventions are not directly comparable. However, all DFID programmes are subject to reviews of their effectiveness through annual reviews and project completion reports, according to standard DFID project cycle management procedures. Our Education programme was described as

“sophisticated, multi-dimensional and innovative, with a balanced approach to access, equity and quality”

by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) report on the DFID bilateral aid to Pakistan.