To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Pakistan on Ahmadis recently arrested in Rabwah and Chakwal.
Answered on
1 February 2017
The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of people based on their beliefs. We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities with the Government of Pakistan. I raised our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities, including Ahmadiyya Muslims, with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during my visit to Pakistan in January 2017. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), discussed religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistani citizens during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. The Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of law.