Direct Response From Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Sikh Council UK

London, England—Sikh Council UK has been in direct dialogue with the India Desk of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through emails, written submissions and telephone conversations in relation to:

  1. UK Visas being granted to Indian nationals accountable for international crimes and national crimes.
  2. International crimes and rights abuses by the Indian state (including specifically against Sikhs in 1984 and onwards) and the position of the UK Government.
  3. Foreign Office assistance in relation to discrimination against British Sikhs by other countries.

In addressing these issues, a detailed 12 page letter as well as evidence based 1,000 page dossier has been submitted to the Foreign Office by Sikh Council UK. The dossier included third party research and evidenced reports by Independent Human Rights Organisations such as Redress, Ensaaf, Liberty and Amnesty International (Sikh Council UK has established links with such International bodies to ensure that Sikh Council can leverage their published material and look to work in partnership with them in the future) Whilst it is clear that the government cannot specifically state names on the Visa issue for individuals such as Tytler and Gill in their letter, they have addressed the action points they are following up to ensure they represent Sikh interests and ensure that security concerns are addressed.

In respect of the broader issues raised by Sikh Council UK, The foreign office has agreed to leverage  the relevant evidence based information. Provided in the dossier in the upcoming EU/India Human Rights meeting.  (This is a twice yearly event which British High Commission in India will lead on but the Foreign Office has accepted Sikh Council UK offer to have an ongoing input and feedback for British Sikhs interests and views.

Below is an extract of the response received directly from The India Desk of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office:

“Thank you for your email of 17 July, attaching a letter to the Foreign Secretary, and also for Mr Gurmel Singh’s emails of 18 July to Jeremy Hunt and Baroness Warsi. I am replying as Desk Officer for India. I have also received your email sent this afternoon (1st August 2012).

You asked for a meeting with FCO ministers. I regret that this would not be possible [SCUK Comment – this refers to an immediate meeting now as opposed to ongoing requests) To address your concerns I would like to reassure you that we are committed to ensuring the Olympic Games are a success, help strengthen the Olympic movement and enhance the reputation of the United Kingdom as an efficient host nation and an attractive place to visit.
We welcome all legitimate visitors to the United Kingdom, including members of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Family.

On the specific question of accreditation we do not routinely comment on individual cases. Our policy is clear that accreditation shall be refused to any individual who may present a safety or security risk, where their presence at the Games or in the United Kingdom would not be conducive to the public good or if there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that they have committed human rights abuses.

We are aware of the level of concern in the Sikh community in Britain about the treatment of their fellow Sikhs in India. We note that in 2005 Indian Prime Minister Singh offered an apology for the 1984 massacre in Parliament during discussions on a new judicial inquiry into the violence. Whilst the Indian government has indicated that the events of 1984 will be looked into further, the British Government has no locus to intervene in India’s judicial process.

However, we maintain a dialogue with Indian officials about minority rights issues generally in India, including with regards to the Sikh community. The UK is active in encouraging an improvement in the treatment of all minority communities in India. Our High Commission in New Delhi has discussed minority community issues with the Indian National Commission for Minorities and with various other State level authorities. Those discussions will continue. In addition, minority rights are among the issues raised via the annual EU/India Human Rights Dialogue which is due to take place soon.

You may wish to know that there have been a number of debates on India in Parliament. Most recently, FCO Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Alistair Burt spoke for the Government at a pre-recess debate on human rights in India that took place in the House on 17 July. The Hansard record of the discussions is available at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm120717/debtext/120717-0002.htm,
Within the FCO, our Consular Department is responsible for providing assistance to British nationals overseas.

You can contact them at [email protected], However, there are limitations on the extent to which we can interfere in the affairs, in this case security procedures, of another state.

Regards, Desk Officer for India and Bhutan | South Asia Department”

Sikh Council UK endeavours to keep the pressure on and keep the panth updated of any outcomes. Sikh Council UK will be responding to the above letter in due course.

1 COMMENT

  1. Also direct response delivered to SAD amritsar Simranjit Maan passport by stamping his passport with visa rejection stamp.LOL.That is also a news.This shows the feelings of UK govt toward foolish hardliners .Wake up from dreams and talk about reality.

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