(Glasgow) (Lab):
Today, the first multifaith
remembrance service will be held in Kingussie for the soldiers of
the British Indian Army whose graves have been discovered there
and elsewhere in Scotland. These 13 young men came to Scotland
having been evacuated from Dunkirk during the second world war
and they are our forgotten heroes: Ali Bahadur, Bari Sher, Dadan
Khan, Fazl Ali, Khan Muhammad, Khushi Muhammad, Muhammad,
Muhammad Sadiq, Mushtaq Ahmad, Mir Zaman, Abdul Rakhman, Ghulam
Nabi and Karam Dad.
Does the First Minister agree that
their names should be forgotten no more and that there should be
a permanent memorial in Scotland to commemorate their lives and
the 161,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their
lives in defence of our country, so that their contribution is
remembered for generations to come?
[Applause.]
The First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon):
I agree with . I thank him for raising the
issue and for how he has done so. He is right to say that those
men were forgotten heroes. Today, as a result of ’s question, their names are
in the Official Report of
the Scottish Parliament, so they will be forgotten no longer. I
thank him for that.
I welcome the multifaith remembrance
service that is taking place today. It is very fitting. It is
an opportunity to remember with gratitude the contribution of
the British Indian Army to the war effort. We have just passed
armistice day, on which we commemorated the centenary of the
end of the first world war and remembered all those who lost
their lives in conflicts throughout the past century. When we
do such things, we should ensure that we remember
everyone.
I would be happy to take forward
discussions about the possibility of a permanent memorial. I
will ask the relevant minister to contact to kick-off those discussions
as soon as possible.
