Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have about the case of Taimoor Raza who has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for allegedly breaking the blasphemy laws on social media; and what representations, if any, they have made on his behalf.

We are aware of the case of Taimoor Raza, a Pakistani national who was sentenced to death on 10 June 2017 after allegedly making blasphemous remarks on social media. We understand Mr Raza has submitted an appeal to the High Court.

The UK remains firmly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances. While we have not raised Mr Raza's case directly with the Pakistan authorities, we have repeatedly called upon the Government of Pakistan to end capital punishment and, at a minimum, commit to publicly renewing the previously imposed moratorium on the death penalty. We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of expression and the misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Pakistani Government at a senior level.

The Foreign Secretary raised misuse of the blasphemy laws during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, my hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), discussed the death penalty and the importance we attach to freedom of expression with Kamran Michael, former Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during a visit to Pakistan in January 2017. The Government will continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to the death penalty and freedom of expression and religion.