Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect Christians accused of (a) blasphemy and (b) other acts from (i) mob violence and (ii) extrajudicial killing in Pakistan.

The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting minority communities remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following recent attacks in Jaranwala. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner. We continue to raise the issue of blasphemy laws privately at the highest levels. On 27 June, Lord Ahmad raised the use of blasphemy laws to target marginalised religious communities with Pakistan's then-Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.