§ MR. CONYBEARE (Cornwall, Camborne)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for India whether he has further considered the case of Abdul Rasoul, and what he proposes to do for him?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOE FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir J. FERGUSSON, Manchester, N.E.)In the absence of my right hon. Friend the Under Secretary for India, I am requested to 224 say that Abdul Rasoul was offered the payment of his expenses in this country, a passage to Bombay, and a safe conduct to Kashmir. He declined these terms unless he also received some Government appointment or a pecuniary equivalent. The Secretary of State refused to extend the offer specified above, and on the 20th of March Abdul Rasoul was informed that if he did not avail himself of those terms within 14 days, they would be withdrawn. He has made no communication since then.
§ MR CONYBEAREI should like to be informed what the offence was for which Abdul Rasoul was imprisoned, and whether he is not entitled to some compensation for the illegal manner in which he was arrested and imprisoned for nine months in India without trial and without any accusation of any kind having been brought against him? I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the Government are prepared to admit that the imprisonment of Abdul Rasoul was illegal, or what the accusation was upon which he was imprisoned?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSONThe hon. Member put the same questions some time ago, and they were answered by my right hon. Friend the Under Secretary.
§ MR. CONYBEAREI beg the right hon. Gentleman's pardon. My question has not been answered yet. What I want to know is what justification the Government had for kidnapping Abdul Rasoul and keeping him in prison without trial for nine months?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSONI will read the answer of my right hon. Friend to which I referred:—
If Abdul Rasoul demands compensation, he should address himself in the first instance to the Government of India, and in the event of the Government refusing redress, he should appeal to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is not in possession of information to enable him to answer the question.
§ MR. CONYBEAREThe Under Secretary promised some time ago to get the information. May I ask whether the Government have obtained it, and when it will be communicated to the House?
§ SIR J. FERGUSSONThat question does not arise out of the answer to the question on the Paper, and as I do not represent the Indian Department I decline to go into it.