The brother of a Dumbarton man detained in India for more than seven years met with Foreign Secretary David Lammy last week.
Gurpreet Singh Johal, the brother of former OLSP pupil Jagtar Singh Johal, met the Foreign Secretary David Lammy last Wednesday at Westminster.
Sikh activist Jagtar faces terror charges in connection with political violence in the north of the India after he was arrested while visiting Punjab for his wedding in 2017.
He is accused of being involved in a political murder plot.
Gurpreet described the meeting as “encouraging” and said the Foreign Secretary “is obviously taking this seriously”.
However, he noted that “the proof is in the pudding – and that means getting Jagtar out of prison and back to Dumbarton.”
Gurpreet has campaigned tirelessly on Jagtar’s continued arbitrary detention in Indi, urging the UK Government to secure his release and return to Scotland
David Lammy is the fifth Foreign Secretary to meet Gurpreet, following Conservatives Jeremy Hunt, Liz Truss, James Cleverly and David Cameron, and the seventh since Jagtar was first detained in 2017.
While Leader of the Opposition, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wrote both to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, calling on them to officially seek Jagtar’s release – something a series of Conservative governments failed to do.
Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have also both acknowledged that Jagtar is arbitrarily detained with no legal basis.
Speaking after the meeting, Gurpreet said: “Over the last seven years, I’ve heard a lot of empty talk from previous Foreign Secretaries about my brother’s case.
“After today’s meeting I’m a lot more hopeful that this new Government will do what is right.
“David Lammy listened to what we had to say and the solutions we proposed – unlike his predecessors.
“But the proof is in the pudding – and that means getting Jagtar out of prison and back to Dumbarton.”
Gupreet also met with a group of Labour MPs at Westminster to further highlight his brother’s plight.
He added: “When the Foreign Secretary says he is taking Jagtar’s case seriously, we take him at his word.
“But we also know that words alone won’t get Jagtar home, so it’s vital that we keep up the pressure.
“Seeing so many Scottish Labour MPs engaged and committed to helping us out is very encouraging.
“The government needs to know that we won’t rest until Jagtar is back home, at the dinner table, having a meal with his family.”
Jagtar’s case has been backed by human rights charity Reprieve.
Their Director of Advocacy and Policy Dan Dolan said: “The Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister both took strong, principled positions on Jagtar’s case in opposition, recognising that he is arbitrarily detained and saying the Government should seek his release.
“We’re calling on them to honour those commitments.
“They have an opportunity to do better than the last government and bring Jagtar home to his family in Dumbarton.”
West Dunbartonshire MP Douglas McAllister, who served as a councillor alongside Gurpreet, added: “Jagtar Singh Johal belongs in West Dunbartonshire and getting him home is very important to me.
“Last week the Foreign Secretary made clear that he views the case as a priority and I hope we will now see that put into practice.
“His predecessors failed the family because they lacked the political will to resolve Jagtar’s situation.”
He added: “In the meeting I got the sense the Foreign Secretary intends to do better, and I hope for Jagtar and the family’s sake we now see that.”