Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what UK funds are earmarked for supporting education initiatives for minority communities in Pakistan.

The UK Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief and to ensuring that our development assistance reaches the poorest and most marginalised, including minority groups, regardless of race, religion, gender, social background or nationality. DFID has education programmes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces that support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum, which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity. Independent evaluations have confirmed this curriculum to be based on the values of democracy, pluralism and peace aimed at educating students to be able to think critically about these issues.