Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Lord Speaker - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 July (HL18796), whether their objectives include seeking assurances about the measures being taken by the government of Pakistan to protect Christian minorities in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Her Majesty's Government's objective is to support a stable, prosperous and democratic Pakistan. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations related to religious minorities.
As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief I continue to raise the issue of protection of christian communities in Pakistan. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Federal Human Rights Minister, Dr. Shireen Mazari, during a visit to Pakistan in February 2019. The former Foreign Secretary discussed the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Qureshi during his visit to the UK in June 2019.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Lord Speaker - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to seek assurances from the government of Pakistan about measures being taken to protect Christian minorities before confirming any visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be visiting Pakistan at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO will be working with the Royal Household to ensure that the visit is aligned with Her Majesty's Government objectives.