About 20 members of the British Parliament have visited Northern Cyprus before, but have not faced such criticism
Staff reporter, Daily Dawn, Dawn TV report
London: Labour MP Afzal Khan has resigned from his post as the UK trade envoy to Turkey.
The decision came after criticism over his recent visit to Northern Cyprus, which is not internationally recognised as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and is not recognised by the British government.
The northern part of Cyprus has been under Turkish occupation since the invasion of the island by Turkish forces in 1974. Afzal Khan, who is an MP for Manchester Rusholme, met Turkish Cypriot leader Ersan Tatar during the visit. The Cypriot government described the meeting as “completely reprehensible and unacceptable”.
Afzal Khan explained that he had made the visit in his personal capacity, during which he met his nephew and received an honorary degree from a local educational institution. He said the visit was in a “personal capacity during parliamentary recess” and had nothing to do with his duties as trade envoy.
In his resignation letter to the prime minister, he wrote that he believed it was best to step down at this time so as not to hinder the government’s efforts to secure the best trade deal for the country, adding that around 20 members of the British parliament had visited Northern Cyprus before but had not faced such criticism.
Afzal Khan’s resignation sparked a backlash in political circles. Shadow Foreign Secretary Wendy Martin welcomed his decision but said Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer should have taken action “much earlier”. Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel also called for his resignation this week. Christos Karaoulis, president of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, said Afzal Khan’s position had become “totally ineffective” after his “highly inappropriate and unacceptable” visit. A government spokesman confirmed that Afzal Khan had resigned as the UK’s trade envoy to Turkey.
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