Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the statement by the government of Pakistan's Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs on 29 April that “the only punishment for blasphemers is beheading”, and (2) what assessment they have made of the Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development’s statement that such comments have contributed to an anti-Ahmadi campaign in Pakistan.

We engage at a senior level with the Pakistani Government on our concerns about the mistreatment of religious and ethnic groups, including Pakistanis from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We are concerned by language that may incite violence against any religious or ethnic groups. As the Minister of State for South Asia with responsibility for human rights, I raised the UK's concerns about freedom of religion or belief and the protection of the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 27 February and with the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Nafees Zakaria, on 12 May. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, as laid down in the constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.