Mentions:
1: Lord Alton of Liverpool (XB - Life peer) non-pecuniary interest as co-chair, along with Jim Shannon MP, of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Pakistani - Speech Link
2: Lord Bishop of Guildford (Bshp - Bishops) The diocese also includes the Mirpur district, which has strong connections to the British-Pakistani - Speech Link
3: Lord Collins of Highbury (Lab - Life peer) I am grateful to the noble Lord for highlighting the excellent work of the APPG for Pakistani Minorities - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) Since the formation of the new Pakistani cabinet, the Foreign Secretary and the British High Commissioner - Speech Link
2: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Con - Life peer) Lords, notwithstanding the question from the noble Lord, Lord Purvis of Tweed, we should not give the Pakistani - Speech Link
3: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con - Life peer) We engage directly with the All-Party Group on Pakistan Minorities on specific cases. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Afzal Khan (Lab - Manchester, Gorton) the most common origin countries being Pakistan, India and the USA; further declares that workers of Pakistani - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Zarah Sultana (Lab - Coventry South) There are reports that Pakistani authorities have subjected them to arbitrary arrest, detention, harassment - Speech Link
2: John McDonnell (Lab - Hayes and Harlington) The issue for us now is how we move forward to have effective influence on the Pakistani Government to - Speech Link
3: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Con - Berwick-upon-Tweed) I will try to address that in a little more detail.The Pakistani military maintains a strong presence - Speech Link
4: Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Con - Berwick-upon-Tweed) Sadly, it is not only with the Pakistani authorities that we see the inability to understand and respect - Speech Link
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that Pakistani school textbooks encourage religious discrimination.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to engage on the critical need for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Pakistani schools. At Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review in January, the UK recommended action to ensure that school textbooks are inclusive of all religions, and urged Pakistan to ensure that religious minorities can access suitable alternatives to compulsory Qu'ranic studies. In July 2023, the British High Commission participated in a civil society-led panel discussion on Minorities and Education. We have previously supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of its Hate Speech and Disinformation programme in Pakistan in (a) tackling hate speech and (b) helping to hold perpetrators of hate speech to account in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Online Hate Speech and Disinformation Programme (2022-25) works to provide training and spearhead policy discourse on the issue of hate speech and disinformation in Pakistan. For example, the programme trains government officers to identify false and hateful narratives, including those which affect women and religious minorities. The programme has trained over 1000 university students on digital literacy. The programme funded voter education videos and supported a news show on Pakistan Television, inviting experts to discuss disinformation ahead of the Pakistani elections. Holding perpetrators of hate speech to account is a matter for the Pakistani Authorities and Judiciary System.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of Christians in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK strongly condemns violence and persecution against Christians in Pakistan. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities, including attacks against the Christian community in Jaranwala, with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Anwaral Haq Kakar on 25 September. 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. Lord Ahmad also raised the issue with Foreign Minister Jilani when they met on 13 September and in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner on 6 September.
Alongside our diplomatic engagement, UK programmes seek to address the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Our Aawaz II programme brings together community leaders and minority representatives to promote tolerance and reduce violence, and our Hate Speech and Disinformation programme works is working to protect marginalised communities from hate speech online.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Pakistan regarding attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK condemns the continued persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan and this is regularly raised in our meetings with the Pakistani authorities. On 22 March I met with Pakistan's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Ishaq Dar to discuss the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. I raised attacks on Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques with Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October in 2023. On 7 March, the UK formally registered concerns with the Pakistan High Commission, condemning all incidents of hate speech directed towards Ahmadi Muslims, the desecration of Ahmadi mosques, and violence against Ahmadi individuals. In my letter to the newly-appointed Human Rights Minister in March, I underlined the UK's commitment to protecting religious minorities and urged the government of Pakistan to condemn any instances of hate directed towards Ahmadi Muslims and other marginalised religious communities.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of religious minorities in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK strongly condemns the violence faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains a priority for the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Anwaral Haq Kakar on 25 September. 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 recent attacks in Jaranwala. He has since written again to the Foreign Minister following the shocking desecration of Ahmadi Mosques and graves in Punjab and Sindh. Lord Ahmad also condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meetings with Foreign Minister Jilani on 13 September, and Pakistani High Commissioner Mohammed Faisal on 6 September.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Foreign Secretary has made recent representations to the Government of Pakistan on protecting the human rights of minorities in that country.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the mistreatment and discrimination faced by marginalised religious communities in Pakistan. We regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Pakistani Government. The former Foreign Secretary raised the persecution of religious communities with Prime Minister Kakar on 25 September. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani on this issue on 21 August. Lord Ahmad also raised the desecration of Ahmadi Muslim graves and mosques in a meeting with Foreign Minister Jilani on 13 September and in a letter of 5 October.