Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications for his policies of the report by Aid to the Church in Need, published 23 June 2021, on the refusal of the Water and Sanitation Agency in Pakistan to close a sewage plant next to the New Covenant School System in the Punjab.

We have not engaged on decisions about this sewage plant, which is a matter for local environmental authorities. The UK's policy towards freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Pakistan remains unchanged. We are committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Pakistan is one of the FCDO's human rights priority countries and protecting FoRB is an integral part of our engagement on human rights in Pakistan. The UK Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.