Written questions, answers and statements

Afghanistan: Sikhs

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Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 158180, tabled on 27 June 2018

Question

Kevin Brennan
Labour
Cardiff West
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of persecution of members of the Sikh religion in Afghanistan.

This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.

Answer

Mark Field
Conservative
Cities of London and Westminster
Commons

Answered on

2 July 2018

​There is no reliable data on the number of Sikhs residing in Afghanistan, but it is estimated to be in the low thousands. Afghanistan’s Constitution states that all citizens have equal rights and that non-Muslims are free to exercise their religious beliefs. However leaders of the Sikh community continue to report discrimination. The UK strongly condemned the 1 July attack on a group of Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad, responsiblity for which was claimed by Daesh. Afghanistan is a priority country for the FCO’s human rights work. The UK works closely with Afghanistan’s National Unity Government, NGOs, civil society and other international partners to support the promotion and protection of human rights in Afghanistan.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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