Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Afghanistan 2023 Human Rights Report by the United States Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, published on 23 April, in particular with regard to the targeting of Hazara community members by ISIS-K.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government welcomes the State Department's Afghanistan 2023 Human Rights Report, which sheds further light on appalling human rights abuses in Afghanistan. We are monitoring closely attacks against Hazaras in Afghanistan, including by Daesh (Islamic State Khorasan Province), and in December I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] publicly condemned them. I have also raised attacks against Hazaras with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for a Minister from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to meet Hazara representatives to discuss the continuing violence and persecution facing their community in Afghanistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of Afghans, including Hazaras. The Government is monitoring closely attacks against Hazaras in Afghanistan, including by Daesh (Islamic State Khorasan Province), and in December I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] publicly condemned them. I have also raised attacks against Hazaras with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish their latest Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment on Afghanistan; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government last completed a Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability (JACS) for Afghanistan in 2019: this document has not been made public, given the sensitive nature of the assessment. We continue to closely monitor the situation in country and the region, drawing on internal and external assessments and reporting. The decision to make public UK-commissioned reports and assessments on the situation in Afghanistan is made on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 10 January (HC Deb col 133WH) that in Afghanistan "minority groups such as the Hazara people face discrimination and attacks”, what action they are taking in this regard.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to monitor and document discrimination and abuses against Hazaras, both through the UN and other institutions, and through our own programme work. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities. In December, I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon] raised attacks against Hazaras with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of instances of persecution on the grounds of religion or belief in some Indian states; when they last raised this with the government of India, including the High Commission of India in London; and what response they have received from the government of India.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect and tolerance between different religious and non-religious communities, regardless of faith.
I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad] discussed human rights with the Government of India, leaders of faith groups and others during my visit to India in May 2023. FoRB was also among the issues discussed during my visit to India in February. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level.
The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India, consistently monitor human rights in the country, regularly engage with civil society and religious representatives, and have run projects supporting human rights.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take action following reported cases of self-immolation and suicide among Tibetan Monks protesting against the government of China; and in particular whether they have made representations to that government, including in relation to the death of monk Tenzin Dorjee.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently raises human rights issues with the Chinese authorities, including in relation to Tibet. The Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific raised human rights during her visit to China in April, and the Foreign Secretary did so in a meeting in February with China's Foreign Minister. We also regularly raise concerns about China's actions in Tibet in multilateral fora, for example, in January at China's Universal Periodic Review, and in March as part of our Item 4 statement at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 640GC–641GC), whether a percentage of the increased official development assistance for Pakistan will be allocated to education for destitute girls from the country's minorities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's targeted aid programmes are working to alleviate the issues facing minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme is tackling social intolerance and exclusion by supporting systemic reforms and promoting interfaith dialogue. Our £130 million Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children, including those from religious minorities; by 2027, the programme will support 250,000 children from marginalised sections of society. Our £4.2 million Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme is helping to protect vulnerable groups, with a focus on making digital spaces safer for women and religious minorities. These programmes tackle broad issues which impact across a variety of vulnerable demographics. We assess that this is the most effective way of helping vulnerable populations.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 640GC–641GC), whether a percentage of development aid to Pakistan will be allocated to professional training projects for young people from Pakistan's minorities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's targeted aid programmes are working to alleviate the issues facing minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme is tackling social intolerance and exclusion by supporting systemic reforms and promoting interfaith dialogue. Our £130 million Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children, including those from religious minorities; by 2027, the programme will support 250,000 children from marginalised sections of society. Our £4.2 million Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme is helping to protect vulnerable groups, with a focus on making digital spaces safer for women and religious minorities. These programmes tackle broad issues which impact across a variety of vulnerable demographics. We assess that this is the most effective way of helping vulnerable populations.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 624GC–643GC), whether a percentage of aid to Pakistan will be allocated to improving the living conditions of people from religious minorities, including the provision of fresh running water and electricity, and the creation of primary schools.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's targeted aid programmes are working to alleviate the issues facing minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme is tackling social intolerance and exclusion by supporting systemic reforms and promoting interfaith dialogue. Our £130 million Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children, including those from religious minorities; by 2027, the programme will support 250,000 children from marginalised sections of society. Our £4.2 million Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme is helping to protect vulnerable groups, with a focus on making digital spaces safer for women and religious minorities. These programmes tackle broad issues which impact across a variety of vulnerable demographics. We assess that this is the most effective way of helping vulnerable populations.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb col 641GC), whether religious minorities in Pakistan will be included in the list of marginalized communities prioritised for UK aid.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's targeted aid programmes are working to alleviate the issues facing minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme is tackling social intolerance and exclusion by supporting systemic reforms and promoting interfaith dialogue. Our £130 million Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children, including those from religious minorities; by 2027, the programme will support 250,000 children from marginalised sections of society. Our £4.2 million Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme is helping to protect vulnerable groups, with a focus on making digital spaces safer for women and religious minorities. These programmes tackle broad issues which impact across a variety of vulnerable demographics. We assess that this is the most effective way of helping vulnerable populations.