Two Britishers of Pakistani descent appointed Lords

Of the 54 new members appointed to the British Parliament upper House of Lords, three are South Asians including two of Pakistani heritage. They include businessman and former vice-chairman of Conservative Party Tariq Ahmad, said to belong to the Ahmadiyya community, Qurban Hussein, deputy leader of the Liberal-Democrat group on Luton Borough Council and Sir Gulam Noon, a leading businessman with Indian roots.
Other prominent personalities chosen to be the peers include former Chief of the General Staff, British Army, General Sir Richard Dannat and Rachael Heyhoe Flint, past captain of England women cricket team. The new appointments have raised the number of House of Lords to 794. Labour Party has 244 but the new additions will see the coalition government benches swell to 316 or 39 percent of the total representation.
The new intake could also cost the British taxpayer up to 2.5m pounds a year, since each peer can claim up to 300 pounds for every day they attend, amounting to a maximum 43,500 pounds annually if the house sits for 145 days. Meanwhile, member, Kashmir Council and central leader of AJK People's Muslim League, Hameed Pothi has congratulated the three newly elevated Asian members of the House of Lords.
In a statement Pothi said that this showed that South Asians particularly Muslims in Britain have a great contribution to make and their elevation at the highest level was a proof that their services to the British public life was considered vital. Pothi further hoped that the new peers will use their influence to work for the benefit of the community and the country and lauded the British system, which rewarded those who worked diligently to make a difference to their country of origin.
He also said that the progress the immigrant communities were making proved that the immigration has actually benefited the UK. He said more and more young people will take interest in British politics now having seen people from their own communities reach top level of politics. Pothi also appealed to the new peers to work even harder to raise awareness about the issue of Kashmir and lobby for the solution of the dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Lord Nazir Ahmed also welcomed the new appointments and expressed hope that their presence in the House will strengthen the voice of ethnic communities. However, the surprise omission was that of former Glasgow MP Muhammad Sarwar who was expected to be elevated to the upper house. He did not contest last May Parliamentary election but his Central Glasgow seat was won by his son Anas Sarwar.