Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations has he made to his Bangladeshi counterpart on the attacks on the Ahmadiyya Jalsa Salana in Bangladesh in March 2023.

Preventing religious violence and upholding Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Bangladesh remains a UK priority. In March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon raised the importance of FoRB with State Minister Alam and I [Minister Trevelyan] underlined respect for human rights with PM Hasina during my visit to Bangladesh. Our support in Bangladesh aims to ensure that the rights of religious minorities, including the Ahmadiyya community, are respected and that these communities are protected from discrimination. We regularly engage with a wide range of civil society and NGO partners to understand the causes and effects of inter-religious conflict.