Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to Hazaras in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

FCDO officials regularly press the Taliban to protect religious and ethnic minorities, including Shia Muslims and Hazara communities. We are working with international partners to ensure credible monitoring. In October, we co-sponsored a Human Rights Council resolution to extend the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate. His recent report included an assessment of the violence and threats against religious minorities and the situation for Hazara communities. In December, the Minister for South Asia, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, met representatives from Hazara community groups.