To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Pakistani counterpart on the welfare of (a) Maria Shahbaz and (b) Saneha Iqbal reportedly kidnapped and forcibly married and converted to Islam in Pakistan in 2020.
Answered on
16 November 2020
The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls from religious minorities in Pakistan. We are closely monitoring Maira Shahbaz and Saneha Kinza Iqbal's cases. We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief, women and girls' rights and gender equality with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. On 19 October, The Minister for South Asia raised our human rights concerns including child, early and forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls, with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari.
UK's Strengthening Rule of Law in Pakistan programme aims to increase public confidence and trust in the Rule of Law. It focuses on delivering outputs that improve the justice system for victims, witnesses and offenders, including vulnerable women and girls.