LONDON British members of parliament are to undertake the most far-reaching inquiry into Britain`s role in human rights abuses in decades as allegations mount to suggest that officials repeatedly breached international law.

The House of Commons foreign affairs select committee will examine Britain`s involvement in the detention, transfer and interrogation of prisoners held during the so-called war on terror. Among the matters to be examined later in the year are allegations that British intelligence officers colluded in the torture of Britons held in Pakistan and Egypt.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband will give evidence to the inquiry although he and Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, refused, earlier this year, to appear before parliament`s joint committee on human rights, which is looking into reports that British officials were complicit in torture.

The foreign affairs committee will investigate

- The case of Binyam Mohamed, who has alleged British involvement in his being tortured at Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere.

- Allegations of British complicity in torture.

- The practice of extraordinary rendition, including the possible use of the British Indian Ocean territory of Diego Garcia.

- The transfer of prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq.

- Allegations of sexual abuse at the British embassy in Baghdad.

- The oversight of private security companies employed by the Foreign Office.

Mike Gapes, the committee`s Labour chairman, said this would be the first time it would attempt to investigate the range of allegations about British conduct. “We are very concerned about these, and thought it was important to branch out,” he said. The committee has yet to decide whether to ask the security or intelligence agencies to give evidence.

The House of Commons human rights committee launched its inquiry in February amid concerns the body which oversees the country`s intelligence agencies, the intelligence and security committee (ISC), was refusing to do so. After Miliband refused to appear before the committee, the foreign affairs committee decided to question him during its public examination of the Foreign Office`s annual human rights report.

Although Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked the ISC last month to review the interrogation policy on detainees held overseas, there is concern at Westminster the committee would not conduct any vigorous inquiry into the allegations of collusion in torture and rendition. Its members are selected by the prime minister and are traditionally chaired by former ministers previously responsible for authorising MI5 (the British security service) or MI6 (British secret intelligence) activities.

Although some complaints of British collusion in torture and rendition remain unproven others have been confirmed. MI5 acknowledges interrogating Mohamed in Pakistan in 2002.

Another case concerns Aurangzieb Ahmed, a Briton unlawfully detained by Pakistan`s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2006.

Greater Manchester police have admitted its officers and MI5 formulated questions that were handed to the ISI to be put to Ahmed. By the time Ahmed was deported to the UK three fingernails were missing from his left hand.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service