Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the government of Pakistan on the case of Akash Karamat.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by the use of blasphemy laws to undermine human rights in Pakistan. During my visit to Pakistan in November, I raised the issue of blasphemy-related violence with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister. The misuse of blasphemy laws to target religious minorities is particularly troubling. The UK Government regularly raises this issue at the highest levels - pressing for due process to prevent wrongful convictions and ensure fair trials for those accused. We are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could put individuals and their families' lives at risk.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of (a) abduction, forced conversion, and marriage of minor Hindu girls and (b) systemic discrimination against Hindu minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to tackling the forced marriage and conversion of women and girls in Pakistan, including Hindu women and girls. I raised this issue with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister in November, and the British High Commission continues to advocate for new laws to end child and forced marriage and forced conversion. Through supporting policy reform and community empowerment, UK programming is also helping to tackle the discrimination faced by marginalised communities. The Aawaz II programme convenes influential community and faith leaders and minority representatives, including from Hindu communities, to change social behaviours and promote interfaith harmony, and works directly with communities to raise awareness of the harms of early and forced marriages.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of alleged reports of violence against (a) religious minorities and (b) Christian communities in the Dhamirahat region of Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August 2024, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities, including Hindus and Christians in Bangladesh. In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on (a) violence and (b) persecution against religious minorities since August 2024.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August 2024, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities, including Hindus and Christians in Bangladesh. In November 2024, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent (a) meetings and (b) other discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart on the (a) arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das and (b) potential implications of that arrest for the rights of minority communities in that country.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to promoting and protecting human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We monitor human rights in Bangladesh closely, including following student-led protests in Bangladesh. I understand the concerns about the arrest of Chinmoy Krishna Das. In November, during my visit to Bangladesh, I discussed the importance of protecting religious minorities, including the Hindu community, with Chief Adviser Yunus. I underlined the UK government's commitment to religious freedom in Bangladesh. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of the persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). We monitor human rights and FoRB closely in Bangladesh. We raise this issue with the Bangladeshi authorities. Our Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme promotes: the protection of civic and political space; collaboration; efforts to reduce corruption; and efforts to mitigate tensions that lead to violence. We are providing up to £27 million under this programme.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) historical reports and (b) recent reports of increased violence and persecution against Indian Hindus in Bangladesh.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, including Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). Following the student-led protests in July and August, we have been closely monitoring the situation for minorities in Bangladesh. In November, I visited Bangladesh and discussed the importance of the protection of religious minorities, including the Hindu community, with Chief Adviser Yunus. We are providing up to £27 million under the Bangladesh Collaborative, Accountable and Peaceful Politics programme for protecting civic and political space, fostering collaboration, reducing corruption, and mitigating tensions that lead to violence. We will continue to engage with the Interim Government of Bangladesh on the importance of FoRB.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will have discussions with his UN counterparts on the reports of an alleged Hamas (a) war room and (b) weapons depot being located in a UNRWA school in Nuseirat, Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Hamas is putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The UK is aware of reports of Hamas using healthcare facilities and other infrastructure, such as schools, as bases and command nodes.
All parties must act in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. Care must be taken to limit operations to military targets and to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will have discussions with the UN on the recently released footage of Palestinians firing from inside an UNRWA compound in eastern Rafah.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK takes allegations of neutrality violations extremely seriously. With regards to this specific incident, UNRWA has said that while it cannot verify the authenticity or the content of this video, it is likely that it is from an UNRWA warehouse in Rafah that was evacuated during the week of 6 May following forced displacement orders from the Israeli authorities. UNRWA has condemned the use of UN facilities by any party to the conflict for military and fighting purposes.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of reports of Hezbollah plans to establish a new militia in Jordan.
Answered by David Rutley
We are aware of these reports and will continue to monitor Kataib Hezbollah's (KH) activity. The Iranian regime bear responsibility for the actions of groups they have long supported, including KH and other non-state actors. In a recent phone call with the King of Jordan, the Prime Minister reiterated our staunch support for the security of Jordan and the wider region.