Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Bangladesh.

Preventing religious violence and upholding Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Bangladesh is a UK priority. In March, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met State Minister Alam and discussed the violence against the Ahmadiyya in Bangladesh and underlined the importance of freedom of religion and belief. 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 non-governmental organisation partners to understand the causes and effects of inter-religious conflict. The UK will continue to support freedom of religion and belief, and human rights concerns through regular dialogue with the Government of Bangladesh and through our development programme funding.