§ Mr. Bill WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the UK's diplomatic relations with Pakistan and (b) the state of democracy in Pakistan. [186749]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe UK enjoys a close and warm relationship with Pakistan which is strengthened by our historical links, and by our having more than 800,000 British Citizens of Pakistani origin. Pakistan is a key ally1382W in the global war against terrorism and the UK continues to work closely with the Government of Pakistan to counter this threat.
We engage with Pakistan at all levels on a wide variety of subjects including defence, drugs, judicial cooperation, migration, and economic and development issues. The UK and Pakistan have formalised some of these engagements through the Joint Judicial Cooperation Working Group and the Defence Cooperation Forum. During the current three year period (2003/04—2005/06) we expect to give over £200 million in aid to Pakistan. There have been several high level visits to and from the UK.
We warmly welcome the ongoing progress in Pakistan's transition to democracy. The decision by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in May this year to readmit Pakistan to the Councils of the Commonwealth was taken in recognition of the progress made in restoring democratic principles. The recent election of Shaukat Aziz to the National Assembly and his subsequent confirmation as Prime Minister is a further positive development. We look forward to working closely with the new Prime Minister of Pakistan and his government.