To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about the recent ruling that all Pakistani citizens must declare their religion when applying for identity documents or government jobs.
Answered on
28 March 2018
Whilst we have not raised the specific issue of the ruling by the High Court in Islamabad on 9 March about inclusion of religion on ID cards. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan. It is vital that Pakistan upholds and protects the rights of all its citizens, regardless of their faith, gender or ethnicity. As such we have called for specific action from Pakistan on establishing all inclusive electoral registers without religious bias, during the UPR process on Pakistan at the HRC.
We also regularly raise the issues of freedom of religion and belief, and the protection of minority Muslim and non-Muslim religious communities, with the government at a senior level.
We continue to urge Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations, including engaging with the UN and other international bodies, and to ensure that the rights of minorities are respected.