Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific mechanisms are in place within UK Aid Direct to ensure that UK aid is distributed in an equitable manner to organisations that offer aid to minority religious communities in Pakistan.

We prioritise our aid to achieve maximum impact for the people of Pakistan in line with our strategic priorities, including promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB). The UK Aid Direct programme is now closed. When operational, it funded the Coalition for Religious Equity and Inclusive Development (CREID) project in Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, which worked to reduce religious inequalities. In addition, it funded projects supporting faith and community leaders to form networks championing FoRB in Pakistan. The UK Government continues to fund projects with local Pakistani organisations to empower minority religious communities and to tackle online hate-speech.