WESTMINSTER: Mr. Anthony Eden told the Commons that the Saudi Arabian Government has given the assurance that no British protected person or child had been sold as a slave in Mecca. This was in reply to a question whether he would enquire into the case of a Baluchi woman and child who, it was alleged, were among those exposed for sale....

Mr. Eden added that the British Government had made every possible effort to suppress slave traffic in the Persian Gulf which before this war had greatly diminished. But owing to disturbed conditions on the south Persian coast in the last two years there had unfortunately been a slight recrudescence of smuggling of slaves to the Arabian coast. Mr. Eden said that he had invited the co-operation of the Saudi Arabian Government in putting a stop to this traffic. He was assured that they would take all possible steps to prevent smuggling of slaves from overseas into their territory which was contrary not only to the Islamic law but also to the Saudi Arabian Government’s laws.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2018