Written questions by Sultana.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart on the safe release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah during his visit to Egypt.

The UK remains committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release so he can be reunited with his family. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during his visit to Egypt on 23 January. The Prime Minister wrote to President Sisi to raise Mr El-Fattah's case on 8 January. The National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, raised with the Foreign Minister on 2 January. The UK will use the upcoming Universal Periodic Review on Egypt in January to raise issues relating to human rights. The Egyptian government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah as a British national and are refusing consular access. UK Government representatives are therefore unable to visit him in prison or communicate with him directly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made (a) to his Egyptian counterpart and (b) to the President of Egypt on the safe release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

The UK remains committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah's release so he can be reunited with his family. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr El-Fattah's case with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during his visit to Egypt on 23 January. The Prime Minister wrote to President Sisi to raise Mr El-Fattah's case on 8 January. The National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, raised with the Foreign Minister on 2 January. The UK will use the upcoming Universal Periodic Review on Egypt in January to raise issues relating to human rights. The Egyptian government does not recognise Mr El-Fattah as a British national and are refusing consular access. UK Government representatives are therefore unable to visit him in prison or communicate with him directly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Pakistani counterpart for an independent investigation into the deaths of civilians in Islamabad on 26 and 27 November 2024.

The UK strongly supports individuals' rights to expression without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to respect these fundamental freedoms, underlining that any human rights violations should be fully investigated in line with international human rights law. I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister, on my visit to Pakistan last month. The British High Commission also regularly raises these issues with the Pakistani authorities at a senior level.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Pakistani government to secure the safe release of Imran Khan.

The Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on 24 October to discuss a range of key issues, including Pakistan's domestic political situation and Imran Khan's detention. I also raised this on my recent visit to Pakistan. While Pakistan's judicial processes are a domestic matter, we have been very clear that the Pakistani authorities need to respect fundamental freedoms, including the right to a fair trial, due process and humane detention. This applies to Imran Khan as it does to all Pakistan's citizens.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the human rights situation in Islamabad, in the context of reports of deaths and mass detentions of protesters from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on 26 and 27 November 2024.

The UK strongly supports individuals' rights to expression without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to respect these fundamental freedoms, underlining that any human rights violations should be fully investigated in line with international human rights law. I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister, on my visit to Pakistan last month. The British High Commission also regularly raises these issues with the Pakistani authorities at a senior level.