Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Gulf States on the funding of Al-Qaeda and ISIS-affiliated groups in Pakistan by such states and private sources based in those states.

The UK and Pakistan have a shared interest in the battle against terrorism. We are playing an active role internationally to combat ISIL, cooperating with our closest allies and partners, including the Gulf states.

The UK Government remains fully committed to working in partnership with Pakistan to tackle terrorism and violent extremism. We regularly discuss counter-terrorism issues with Pakistani officials.

There are media reports of limited rhetorical support for ISIL in some parts of Pakistan in the form of leaflets and graffiti. A statement in early October by the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella group, expressing support for ISIL was followed shortly afterwards by a second expressing the group’s loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. In mid-October, some media reported that a small group of Pakistani Taliban leaders had pledged personal allegiance to ISIL.