Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for its policies of the human rights situation in the Pakistani region of Balochistan, including potential occurrence of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and honour killings.

The UK 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, Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the human rights situation with Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. In June 2022, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan discussed the issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan with Minister Pirzada. We continue to encourage progress towards the criminalisation of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. We urge states to fully investigate any allegations, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families.