Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports that Jagjit Kaye was kidnapped and forced to convert from Sikhism to Islam, and (2) the Pakistan Centre for Social Justice's findings that there have been 160 cases of forced conversion since 2013 in Pakistan; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Pakistan about such conversions.

We are concerned about ongoing reports of forced marriage and forced conversion of Hindu and Christian women and girls. We are aware of the reported forced conversion and forced marriage of Jagjit Kaur in August 2019. The Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls from 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 Foreign Secretary discussed the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Qureshi during his visit to the UK in June 2019. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister in November 2019.