PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Pakistan: Drugs (9 June 2015)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the risk that UK support for law-enforcement-led counter-narcotics activity in Pakistan could contribute to capital convictions for drug offenders in that country.

Asked by:
Kerry McCarthy (Labour)

The UK works with a range of international partners, including Pakistan, to combat narcotics trafficking. We do so to tackle the international drugs trade and minimise the threat it poses to the UK and its citizens. The Government has implemented a clear and robust framework - the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance – that all Government departments must adhere to. This enables the Government to assess comprehensively the risk attached to our international activity. Once in place, an OSJA is subject to continual review. When the moratorium on the death penalty was lifted in Pakistan the Government reviewed its security engagement with Pakistan. Our engagement in Pakistan continues to be conducted in full accordance with the OSJA guidance, respect for human rights is one of its core principles.

Answered by:
Mr Tobias Ellwood (Conservative)
15 June 2015