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 - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its Hate Speech and Disinformation programme in Pakistan in (a) tackling hate speech and (b) helping to hold perpetrators of hate speech to account in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme (2022-25) works to provide training and spearhead policy discourse on the issue of hate speech and disinformation in Pakistan. For example, the programme trains government officers to identify false and hateful narratives, including those which affect women and religious minorities. The programme has trained over 1000 university students on digital literacy. The programme funded voter education videos and supported a news show on Pakistan Television, inviting experts to discuss disinformation ahead of the Pakistani elections. Holding perpetrators of hate speech to account is a matter for the Pakistani Authorities and Judiciary System.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of Christians in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns violence and persecution against Christians in Pakistan. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities, including attacks against the Christian community in Jaranwala, with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Anwaral Haq Kakar on 25 September. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. Lord Ahmad also raised the issue with Foreign Minister Jilani when they met on 13 September and in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner on 6 September.
Alongside our diplomatic engagement, UK programmes seek to address the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Our Aawaz II programme brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance and reduce violence, and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme works is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent (a) violence against and (b) the persecution of Christians in Pakistan.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns violence and persecution against Christians in Pakistan. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities, including attacks against the Christian community in Jaranwala, with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Anwaral Haq Kakar on 25 September. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. Lord Ahmad also raised the issue with Foreign Minister Jilani when they met on 13 September and in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner on 6 September.
Alongside our diplomatic engagement, UK programmes seek to address the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Our Aawaz II programme brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance and reduce violence, and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme works is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of army recruits from (a) Black,(b) Asian and (c) minority ethnic backgrounds complete their Phase (i) 1 and (ii) 2 training.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The tables below show Regular Army Other Rank Untrained Intake actuals and proportion completing Phase 1 and Phase 2 Training by Financial Year and Ethnicity, 2018-19 to 2022-23.
Regular Army Other Rank Untrained Intake proportion completing Phase 1 Training by Financial Year and Ethnicity, 2018-19 to 2022-23
% of untrained Phase 1 intake by ethnicity | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Total Ethnic Minority Untrained Intake | 92% | 93% | 88% | 86% | 82% |
Asian Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 94% | 88% | 91% | 86% | 79% |
Black Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 95% | 95% | 92% | 89% | 87% |
Mixed Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 84% | 86% | 77% | 78% | 74% |
Other Ethnic Minority Untrained Intake | 96% | 97% | 92% | 89% | 90% |
Regular Army Other Rank Untrained Intake proportion completing Phase 2 Training by Financial Year and Ethnicity, 2018-19 to 2022-23
Phase 2 completion figures in the most recent Financial Years are subject to change due to personnel still in the training pipeline who may either complete Phase 2 training or leave the Regular Army during training.
% of untrained Phase 2 intake by ethnicity | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Total Ethnic Minority Untrained Intake | 89% | 90% | 82% | 76% | 36% |
Asian Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 94% | 87% | 85% | 80% | 33% |
Black Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 94% | 93% | 87% | 80% | 39% |
Mixed Ethnicity Untrained Intake | 76% | 82% | 69% | 63% | 29% |
Other Ethnic Minority Untrained Intake | 85% | 95% | 85% | 79% | 49% |
Notes/Caveats:
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Foreign Secretary has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on protecting the human rights of minorities in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the mistreatment and discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. We regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Pakistani Government. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities with Prime Minister Kakar on 25 September. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani on this issue on 21 August. Lord Ahmad also raised the desecration of Ahmadi Muslim graves and mosques in a meeting with Foreign Minister Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October.
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 representations to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that Pakistani school textbooks encourage religious discrimination.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to engage on the critical need for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Pakistani schools. At Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review in January, the UK recommended action to ensure that school textbooks are inclusive of all religions, and urged Pakistan to ensure that religious minorities can access suitable alternatives to compulsory Qu'ranic studies. In July 2023, the British High Commission participated in a civil society-led panel discussion on Minorities and Education. We have previously supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of religious minorities in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK strongly condemns the violence faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains a priority for the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Anwaral Haq Kakar on 25 September. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following recent attacks in Jaranwala. He has since written again to the Foreign Minister following the shocking desecration of Ahmadi Mosques and graves in Punjab and Sindh. Lord Ahmad also condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meetings with Foreign Minister Jilani on 13 September, and Pakistani High Commissioner Mohammed Faisal on 6 September.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to measure and evaluate (1) the effectiveness, and (2) the impact of projects that monitor the evacuation of religious minorities from areas affected by religious persecution in Pakistan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government strongly condemns the violence faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia] condemned recent attacks against religious minorities in my meetings with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September, and Pakistani High Commissioner Mohammed Faisal on 6 September. UK aid in Pakistan continues to support projects promoting the rights of religious minorities. Our Aawaz II programme brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance. The British High Commission recently attended the Aawaz Interfaith dialogue in Lahore, which convened key stakeholders from across Punjab following the attacks against Christians in Jaranwala. Our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme is working to protect 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 developments in the Supreme Court of Pakistan case on the application by Samuel Payara (C.M.A.7748/2023) after the court adjourned proceedings and requested from the Sargodha administration the text of its agreement with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) regarding blasphemy monitoring in areas inhabited by Christian community members; and whether they have raised this matter with the government of that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 13 September, I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] discussed the treatment of marginalised religious communities, including the Christian community, with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani. On 6 September, I condemned attacks against religious minorities in my meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner. We continue to raise the issue of blasphemy laws privately at the highest levels. On 27 June, I raised the use of blasphemy laws to target marginalised religious communities with Pakistan's then-Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.