Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to prevent persecution of Christians and other religious minorities overseas.

Freedom of religion or belief is a key thematic human rights priority for this Government. We regularly urge governments at senior levels to uphold the rights of all minorities; work to build international consensus on freedom of religion or belief in multilateral bodies such as the UN; and support practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups. Taking Pakistan as an example of our bilateral engagement, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised our concerns about Pakistan’s blasphemy law with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 5 December.