Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of recent attacks on churches in Jaranwala in Pakistan.

The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the Government to ensure the safety of the Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UK's commitment to freedom of religion or belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad, condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.