To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Pakistan on the recent arrests of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan’s Punjab Province.
Answered on
17 March 2025
Promoting the rights of religious minorities is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised the deteriorating situation for Ahmadi Muslims when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024 and discussed this issue in Parliament on 28 November 2024. Our High Commissioner in Pakistan raised the issue of Ahmadi rights in a meeting with Prime Minister Sharif on 3 March 2025. On 6 March 2025, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials visited the Ahmadiyya headquarters in Rabwah to discuss key issues impacting the community. The UK remains committed to promoting minority rights in Pakistan - a commitment I discussed with representatives from the UK-Pakistan diaspora on 18 February 2025. We are not prepared to discuss the detail of individual cases where to do so could put individuals at risk.