Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary's meeting with Pakistani Human Rights Minister on 4 September 2024 on violations of freedom of religion or belief in that country; and when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary next plans to meet (a) that Minister and (b) his Pakistani counterpart.

I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony in a productive conversation with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Azam Tarar, on 4 September. I regularly meet with my counterparts in the Pakistani Government, including the Human Rights and Law Minister, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister. On 28 October, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan raised concerns around threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan with the Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif. We will continue raise freedom of religion or belief in future engagements with the Government of Pakistan.