Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how British (1) foreign policy, and (2) aid programmes support persecuted minorities in Pakistan

Promoting human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, is a fundamental part of the British Government's work, including in Pakistan.

We remain concerned by the treatment of minority communities, including religious minorities, in Pakistan.

We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of advancing the rights of minorities during her telephone call with Imran Khan in August following his election as Prime Minister of Pakistan. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018.

Under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the UK has supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom.

We ensure that our development assistance, delivered through the Department for International Development (DFID), targets the poorest people in Pakistan regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. DFID Pakistan does not disaggregate results or budgets by religion.