Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support and protect the endangered Kalash people in Pakistan; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that support on the survival of those people.

We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan, particularly the most vulnerable, including women, minorities and children, as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan. The Kalash people live in the Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP). In KP the UK has contributed to education, social protection, and social inclusion programmes, which have benefitted marginalised groups, including the Kalash. For example, teachers working in the Kalash area received training under the UK-supported Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Sector Programme. Through the Aawaz II programme, the UK has worked with partners to improve KP's childbirth registration system. Such reforms will ensure that more marginalised groups, including the Kalash, are registered and visible to the Government, and able to access essential services like healthcare and education.