Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from the government of Pakistan on amendments being made to Pakistan's Blasphemy laws.

We regularly raise our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the need for reform, as well as concerns about specific cases where individuals have been accused of blasphemy. In February 2015 I raised UK concerns about blasphemy laws with a group of visiting Pakistani Parliamentarians. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed Pakistan’s blasphemy laws with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2014.

In December 2014 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) also stressed our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy law with Prime Minister Sharif. We will ensure that this issue continues to be raised at the highest levels in Pakistan.