Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Pakistani counterparts on the persecution of (a) Ahmadi Muslims and (b) Christians in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Protecting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, raised the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims and the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. Lord Ahmad also discussed the importance of promoting respect for all religions during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his (a) Uzbekistani counterpart and (b) HM Ambassador to Uzbekistan on (i) human rights in Uzbekistan and (ii) the imprisonment of Duletmurat Tazhimuratov.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO carefully monitors the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. We regularly raise human rights issues, including the aftermath of the events in Karakalpakstan and the imprisonment of activists and journalists such as Mr Tazhimuradov, with the Uzbek authorities. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon most recently raised human rights with a senior visiting Uzbek delegation on 19 April. We are clear that the right to peaceful protest and respect for media freedom should be protected.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many (a) British nationals and (b) dependents of British nationals have registered their presence in Sudan with his Department as of 24 April.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
As of 24 April, over 2,500 people had contacted the FCDO to either register their presence in Sudan or request assistance from there.
Since 25 April the UK has supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals, dependants, Sudanese NHS medical staff and other eligible nationals.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support British Citizens in Sudan who have been unable to reach airports in time for the evacuation flights.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO continues to run a 24/7 crisis response, and any British nationals in need of consular assistance should contact the FCDO. The final UK evacuation flight from Wadi Saeedna airfield departed on 30 April, following the successful evacuation of 2197 people. On 1 May we ran two evacuation flights to help British nationals to leave Port Sudan, and we have facilitated other people onto ships leaving for safe countries in the region. We continue to provide consular support to British nationals in Port Sudan and in neighbouring countries in the region.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support British citizens in Sudan following violence and damage to airport infrastructure in April 2023.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The safety of all British nationals in Sudan is our priority. The FCDO is working 24/7 to support remaining nationals. The situation remains volatile and plans may change depending on the security situation. All eligible British nationals who plan to leave Sudan are encouraged to travel to the British Evacuation Centre as soon as possible. Flights leave from Wadi Saeedna airfield. We can only evacuate British passport holders and immediate family members (spouse/partner and children under 18 years old) with existing UK entry clearance. More than 536 people have now been evacuated from Sudan on 6 UK flights as of 9pm last night (26 April).
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Pakistani counterparts on human rights issues.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Pakistan is an FCDO human rights priority country. The UK Government regularly engages the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, discussed the human rights situation with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in Pakistan on the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf worker Ali Bilal.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government was saddened to hear of the death of Mr Bilal in March. Where there are credible allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be investigated in line with due process.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people who have been approved under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are in bridging hotels in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As of 29 March 2023 there are approximately 1000 eligible people being accommodated in UK Government funded hotels in Pakistan approved under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), overall responsibility for which lies with the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage UN agencies to support non-governmental organisations in Afghanistan that have had to suspend their activities in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK recognises that some partners or organisations may choose to either partially or fully suspend activities for a variety of reasons in the current context. Where non-governmental organization (NGO) partners have had to suspend activity, either partially or fully, FCDO is continuing to cover staff salaries and other critical associated operational costs and is encouraging UN agencies to do the same. We are also working with other donors to ensure we maintain a common position regarding our support to organisations who have suspended activities.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport 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 discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) blasphemy and (b) anti-Ahmadi legislation in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Protecting minority communities continues to be central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities and raised proposed amendments to the blasphemy laws during his meeting with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 30 January. Lord Ahmad also discussed blasphemy laws and the importance of promoting respect for all religions during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.