Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to improve the lives of Christian people in Afghanistan who face difficulties as a result of publicly practising their faith.

The UK strongly supports the universal human right to freedom of religion and belief. We continue to remind the Afghan Government of its duty to abide by its national and international commitments, and to respect the freedom of worship as enshrined in the Afghan Constitution. We use a variety of activities within Afghanistan to promote freedom of religion, including supporting human rights awareness training. We are also engaging with religious leaders and scholars, to discuss the role of religious leaders in promoting peace and tolerance at a local level.