Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) blasphemy and (b) anti-Ahmadi legislation in that country.

Protecting minority communities continues to be central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities and raised proposed amendments to the blasphemy laws during his meeting with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 30 January. Lord Ahmad also discussed blasphemy laws and the importance of promoting respect for all religions during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.