Pak detains UK councillor who spoke for Kashmiris, blocks his return

Islamabad (TIP): Pakistan detained British Labour councillor Daalat Ali, who has campaigned for Kashmiris, during a visit in October. After his release, he was reportedly stopped from boarding a flight at Lahore airport on October 28 to return home to the UK. Ali, the deputy leader of Rochdale Borough Council, was allegedly told his name was on an immigration control list.
Ali was travelling with a delegation led by Rochdale’s ceremonial mayor, Faisal Rana, to Sahiwal in Punjab, a city that has been twinned with Rochdale since 1998. The UK’s Rochdale Council suspects the detention was linked to his Kashmir activism.
The initial detention of Ali came to light in a Manchester Evening News report published on October 28. A day later, Jammu-based Kashmir Times reported that Ali had also been prevented from leaving Pakistan. British Labour MP Imran Hussain has sought ministerial intervention over his treatment. Indian human rights activist Azhar Ahmed questioned the detention and said it raised serious concerns about freedom of expression and political intimidation in Pakistan. He urged the UK government to seek a full explanation from Pakistani authorities.
In his writings, Daalat Ali has described Pakistan as an occupying power in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). The action against Ali comes amid months of intense protests in POK, where dozens of demonstrators have been killed, internet services have been shut down and journalists have been detained. Pakistan has also imposed restrictions requiring foreign media to obtain permission to report outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.