Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of recent attacks on churches in Jaranwala in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. 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. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UK's commitment to freedom of religion or belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad, condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect Christians accused of (a) blasphemy and (b) other acts from (i) mob violence and (ii) extrajudicial killing in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against Christians in Pakistan. Protecting minority communities remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement. 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. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner. We continue to raise the issue of blasphemy laws privately at the highest levels. On 27 June, Lord Ahmad raised the use of blasphemy laws to target marginalised religious communities with Pakistan's then-Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on allegations of violent human rights violations committed by security forces in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK Government raises issues about human rights violations at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan, urging them to ensure they act in line with international human rights law, including ensuring everyone's right to a fair trial. In a letter to caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani on 21 August, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, impressed the need for Pakistan's citizens to be able to exercise their democratic rights and participate in peaceful, inclusive, credible elections. We continue to monitor the situation. On 6 September Lord Ahmad condemned attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect and promote freedom of religion and belief in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Promoting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. On 6 September Lord Ahmad publicly condemned the most recent attack on an Ahmadiyya mosque in Karachi. He has called for those responsible for attacks on religious minorities to be brought to justice. On 6 September Lord Ahmad condemned these attacks in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rights for religious minorities in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against the Christian community in Pakistan. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce has said, the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Pakistan, and around the world. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, 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. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UKs commitment to freedom of religion and belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad raised the attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
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 counterparts in Pakistan on the rights of Christians in Pakistan.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The UK strongly condemns violence against the Christian community in Pakistan. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce has said, the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Pakistan, and around the world. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, 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. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UKs commitment to freedom of religion and belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad raised the attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
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
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.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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
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.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
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 Pakistani counterparts on the persecution of (a) Ahmadi Muslims and (b) Christians in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Protecting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, raised the treatment of Ahmadi Muslims and the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. Lord Ahmad also discussed the importance of promoting respect for all religions during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) blasphemy and (b) anti-Ahmadi legislation in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty
Protecting minority communities continues to be central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed the need to safeguard the rights of religious minorities and raised proposed amendments to the blasphemy laws during his meeting with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 30 January. Lord Ahmad also discussed blasphemy laws and the importance of promoting respect for all religions during his meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on 14 December 2022.