Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Pakistan concerning the desecration of mosques and graves by police in Pakistan; and what response they have received, if any.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of credible reports of police overseeing and taking part in the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK Government condemns all instances of hate and discrimination directed towards minority religious communities, including Ahmadi Muslims. I [Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia] raised my concerns about the persecution of religious minorities and the protection of minority faith communities with Pakistan's Human Rights and Law Minister, Azam Tarar, on 15 April. The Foreign Secretary highlighted the need for the UK and Pakistan to work together to pursue freedom of religion and belief in his introductory letter to Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in March. On 7 March, the UK formally registered UK concerns about the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and violence against Ahmadi individuals. We will continue to urge the government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people in Pakistan as laid down in the Constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards.
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he is taking steps to help his Pakistani counterparts tackle economic pressures in Kashmir.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is closely monitoring the situation in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. We are working with the US, EU and other key partners, to encourage Pakistan to conduct the economic reforms necessary to ensure long-term, sustainable, growth ahead of any future IMF programme. This includes providing direct technical expertise through our £39 million Revenue Mobilisation Investment and Trade programme, £37.5 million Sustainable Energy and Economic Development programme, and £37.5 million Sub-National Governance programme in Pakistan. The Deputy Foreign Secretary met with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, on 22 March to underline the importance of economic stability and offer the UK's full support on economic reform.
May. 22 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 11 April 2024 to 15 May 2024Found: Myanmar (form erly Burma) Namibia Nepal Niger Nigeria North Macedonia (form erly Macedonia) Pakistan
May. 22 2024
Source Page: Confirm a notarial or document service is not availableFound: Pakistan: notarial services (Islamabad) PDF, 20.8 KB, 1 page This file may not be suitable for users
May. 22 2024
Source Page: Confirm a notarial or document service is not availableFound: Tel: +92 (0)51 201 2000 Fax: +92 (0)51 201 2019 Cons.islamabad@fcdo.gov.uk https://www.gov.uk/world/pakistan
May. 22 2024
Source Page: Confirm a notarial or document service is not availableFound: Consular Section Shahrah-e-Iran Clifton Karachi 75600 Pakistan Tel: +92 (0)21 3582 7000 Fax: +92 (0)
Mentions:
1: Alex Burghart (Con - Brentwood and Ongar) Balkans10.05928.92038.979Middle East and North Africa25.46354.79380.256Overseas Territories16.5413.73220.273Afghanistan and Pakistan - Speech Link
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb cols 628GC–630GC), whether they plan to use some of the increased aid to Pakistan to help train the staff of ‘Misaq Centres’ in police stations in areas with a sizeable percentage of minority communities.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to make representations to the Government of Pakistan and use UK programme funding to protect and promote the rights of minorities in Pakistan. Our £46.7 million Aawaz II programme (2015-27) works to improve social cohesion at the grassroots level and provides technical assistance to the government for systemic reforms. For example, the programme works with minority religious communities to connect vulnerable citizens with state services. We will continue to use UK aid to support Pakistan's long-term development, focusing on improving human capital (health, education, gender equality), governance and human rights and climate resilience.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 25 April (HL Deb cols 628GC–630GC), whether development funding for Pakistan will be used for the training of teachers in religious tolerance or to develop materials and skills aimed at promoting a positive image of religious harmony and coexistence in schools.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to make representations to the Government of Pakistan and use UK programme funding to protect and promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in schools. We have supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks. We have also commissioned studies to identify minorities' needs in education. Meanwhile, our Girls and Out of School Action for Learning programme is improving education outcomes for marginalised children from the most vulnerable sections of society, including religious minorities. We will continue to use UK aid to support Pakistan's long-term development, focusing on improving human capital (health, education, gender equality), governance and human rights and climate resilience.
Written Evidence May. 21 2024
Inquiry: FCDO and civil societiesFound: our consortium partners currently receive UK Aid to implement multi-year bilateral programmes in Pakistan