To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to his counterparts in Pakistan on the case of Maira Shahbaz.
Answered on
9 February 2023
Protecting women's rights is central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 14 October 2022, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, raised forced conversions with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada. In December 2022, the UK announced sanctions against Mian Abdul Haq, a Pakistani cleric who is responsible for the forced religious conversions and forced marriages of young girls. We are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could put individuals and their families' lives at risk.