Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the steps being taking by the Government of Pakistan to legislate to ban forced conversions and forced marriages of Christian and Hindu girls and women.

The UK strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. We regularly raise the issue of freedom of religion or belief and women and girls' rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. During his visit to Pakistan on 23 and 24 June 2021, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for South Asia, met Prime Minister Khan, as well as other senior government ministers, and discussed our concerns. He met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, particularly the issue of forced conversion and marriage. Most recently, Lord Ahmad discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, on 28 November 2021.