Found: I am also chair of the APPG for the Pakistani minorities. The hon.

Found: He is also the senior legal adviser to the all-party parliamentary group for the Pakistani minorities

Found: He is also the senior legal adviser to the all-party parliamentary group for the Pakistani minorities

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Pakistan on holding to account the people responsible for violence in Jaranwala.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK strongly condemns the recent violence against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab. We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Pakistan closely and regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 27 June to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes, human rights and adherence to the rule of law. On 16 August, Lord Ahmad wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community at this worrying time. He has publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Lord Ahmad also met with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Pakistani Minorities on 5 September and condemned the attacks in Jaranwala.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart regarding (a) security and (b) human rights in Pakistan.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Pakistan closely and regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 27 June to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes, human rights and adherence to the rule of law. He spoke with the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for Pakistani minorities on 5 September. In a letter to caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani on 21 August, Lord Ahmad emphasised the need for Pakistan's citizens to be able to exercise their democratic rights and participate in peaceful, inclusive, credible elections.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the National Commission for Human Rights Pakistan Unequal citizens: ending systematic discrimination against minorities, published on 23 May; and what plans they have to use UK Aid to increase employment among young Christians in Pakistan.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Commission on Human Rights' report highlights the challenges faced by Pakistani minorities in accessing government roles and the poor conditions they often face as low-paid sanitation workers. The UK regularly raises concerns regarding the protection of minorities at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Our programme funding seeks to address the underlying causes. The Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development, a UK Government-funded multi-country programme, has implemented a project in Pakistan to protect minorities who work as sewage and sanitation workers. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, particularly the most vulnerable.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the report Unequal Citizens - Ending Systematic Discrimination Against Minorities, published by the National Commission on Human Rights in May 2022; and what steps they are taking to prevent the practices analysed in the publication.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The National Commission on Human Rights' report highlights the challenges faced by Pakistani minorities in accessing government roles and the poor conditions they often face as low-paid sanitation workers. The UK regularly raises concerns regarding the protection of minorities at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Our programme funding seeks to reinforce these messages and to address the underlying causes. The Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID), a UK Government-funded multi-country programme, has implemented a project in Pakistan to protect minorities who work as sewage and sanitation workers. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, particularly the most vulnerable.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the case of Pooja Kumari, an 18 year old Hindu girl in Pakistan, who was allegedly killed for refusing to convert to Islam and resisting attempted abduction and forced marriage to Wahid Bux Lashari.

Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary

The UK strongly condemns forced marriage and the forced conversion of women and girls. We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and women and girls' rights at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. During his visit to Pakistan on 23 and 24 June 2021, Lord Ahmad met the then Prime Minister, as well as other senior government ministers, and discussed our concerns. He met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, particularly the issue of forced conversion and marriage. Most recently, he discussed the need to promote respect for all religions with the then Governor of Punjab on 28 November 2021. The FCDO funds programmes in Pakistan that directly address early and forced marriages and gender-based violence. The UK government has supported the Government of Pakistan in setting up eight child courts to provide child-sensitive justice to children who come in contact with the law, including victims of child abuse, trafficking and child marriage.

Found: I met interfaith leaders to understand the situation of Pakistani minorities, including the issue of

@EndBlasphemylws to answer your earlier question. Two events on pg.3 looking at Pakistani Minorities - 'Free to Believe… or Not: End Criminalisation of Apostasy and Blasphemy.' and 'Education in Pakistan.'