Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the recent attacks on the Ahmadi mosque in Chakwal, and on the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Raburah; and about the arrest of Ahmadis in these incidents.

The UK Government is aware of reports of the raid on an Ahmadiyya Muslim office in Rabwah on 5 December and condemns the attack on the Ahmadiyya mosque in Chakwal on 12 December. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.

We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Government of Pakistan. During his visit to Pakistan in November 2016, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. During his visit to Pakistan in January 2017, the Minister for Asia and the Pacific, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), raised the protection of minorities, including the Ahmadiyya, with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights. The Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of law.