To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 22 October (HL10527), whether they take into account the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan when deciding on the prioritisation of UK overseas development aid; and whether they intend to instruct Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials to visit minority communities in Pakistan and to report on the (1) number of people living in shanty towns and informal settlements, and (2) conditions in which they live.
Answered on
5 November 2018
DFID Pakistan targets development assistance to improve the lives of poor women and men, regardless of race, religion, social background, or nationality. As part of DFID planning processes, we assess the situation of poor, marginalised and excluded groups to inform priorities. DFID Pakistan works to reduce inequality and exclusion of minorities by promoting tolerance and greater understanding of minorities. As part of routine programme monitoring, and where security allows, DFID staff visit programme sites, including shanty towns and informal settlements. We do not collect disaggregated population data on minority groups.