Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the safety and right to freedom of religion of Ahmadiyya Muslims; and what response, if any, they have received.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. The Minister for the Middle East stressed the importance of religious tolerance and harmony when he met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November. In a meeting with Pakistan's Interior Minister on 20 November, he and the British High Commissioner raised the issue of violence towards Ahmadi Muslims. The British High Commission continues to raise the issue of safety for the Ahmadi community at the highest levels. We have received assurances that the Pakistani authorities will continue to work hard to protect minority communities.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding the prosecution of those who commit violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. The Minister for the Middle East raised the issue of Ahmadi rights when he met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November. In a meeting with Pakistan's Interior Minister on 20 November, he and the British High Commissioner raised the issue of violence towards Ahmadi Muslims. The British High Commission continues to raise these issues, including the need for swift action in response to incidents of violence, at the highest levels. We urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure that perpetrators of violence are held to account.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on protecting religious minorities from hate crimes, (b) promoting accountability for perpetrators of violence and (c) safeguarding the rights of Ahmadi Muslims in that country.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November. On 20 November, I also attended a meeting with Pakistan's Interior Minister, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about violence directed towards Ahmadi Muslims. The UK will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to fully investigate incidents of violence, prosecute those responsible and provide justice to victims and their families.
Asked by: Blair McDougall (Labour - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the role of that country’s Islamic Council in the persecution of Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities around the world. In Pakistan, we work to promote the rights of religious minorities through diplomatic engagement and programme funding. I raised the issue of religious tolerance when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister when I visited this year. The UK also stands firm on human rights in China, including in Xinjiang, where China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. We raise our concerns with China at the highest levels - the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary both raised human rights recently with their Chinese counterparts.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart about (a) freedom of religion in that country and (b) the case of Ehsan Shan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 19 November. On 20 November, I attended a meeting with Pakistan's Minister of Interior Mosin Naqvi, where the British High Commissioner and I raised concerns about threats of violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. Officials at the British High Commission Islamabad regularly raise our concerns surrounding the mistreatment of minorities with the Pakistani authorities, including law enforcement officials. We regularly raise our opposition to the death penalty and concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws, both in principle and in relation to specific cases.
Asked by: Lord Marlesford (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan with a view to preventing the persecution of Christians in that country.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK condemns the persecution of religious minorities, including Christians, in Pakistan. Minister Falconer underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when he met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. Officials at BHC Islamabad regularly raise our concerns surrounding the mistreatment of minorities with the Pakistani authorities, including law enforcement officials. We continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of recent reports of the destruction of Ahmadiyya Muslim places of worship in the Punjab region of Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of reports of the desecration of Ahmadi mosques and graves in Pakistan. The UK strongly condemns all instances of hate or violence directed towards Ahmadiyya Muslims and other marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony when I met with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on 4 September. Officials at BHC Islamabad regularly raise our concerns surrounding the mistreatment of minorities with the Pakistani authorities, including law enforcement officials. We continue to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan, including facilitating interfaith dialogue and protecting marginalised communities from hate speech online.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistani Minorities, Exploitation Of Bonded Brick Kiln Labourers In Pakistan: The Unseen Modern-Day Slavery, published on 29 May; whether they intend to act on the report’s recommendations, especially in regard to the use of UK development aid in combatting the exploitation of Pakistan's minorities, particularly women and children; and whether they will draw the report and its recommendations to the attention of the government of Pakistan.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking anywhere in the world. We regularly raise the rights of minorities with the Government of Pakistan. In Pakistan, our Aawaz II Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery Programme and Asia Regional Child Labour Programme are working with partners, including the Government of Pakistan and civil society, to reduce child and bonded labour. 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. We will continue to use our funding to support Pakistan's long-term development, focusing on improving governance and human rights, macroeconomic stability and trade, and climate resilience.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on religious minorities being subjected to bonded labour in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK is committed to eradicating all forms of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking anywhere in the world. Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia, raised his concerns about the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan and the need for legal action to protect minority faith communities with Human Rights and Law Minister Azam Tarar on 15 April. The UK's Aawaz II Accountability, Inclusion and Reducing Modern Slavery Programme and Asia Regional Child Labour Programme are working with partners, including the Government of Pakistan, to reduce child and bonded labour. We will continue to raise the issues affecting religious minorities in Pakistan at the highest levels of Government.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan regarding attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK condemns the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan and this is regularly raised in our meetings with the Pakistani authorities. On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. I raised attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October in 2023. On 7 March, the UK formally registered concerns with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech directed towards Ahmadi Muslims, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques, and violence against Ahmadi individuals. In my letter to the newly-appointed Human Rights Minister in March, I underlined the UK's commitment to protecting religious minorities and urged the government of Pakistan to condemn any instances of hate directed towards Ahmadi Muslims and other marginalised religious communities.