To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Pakistan's record on implementing human rights commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences on (a) freedom of religion, (b) blasphemy laws and (c) the treatment of religious minorities.
Answered on
22 April 2025
Promoting human rights is a core part of the UK's diplomatic engagement in Pakistan. I raised issues including the rights of religious minorities and blasphemy accusations when I met Pakistan's Minister for the Interior, Talal Chaudhry, on 31 March. Under the UK's Developing Countries Trading Scheme (which replaced the Generalised Scheme of Preferences in 2023), Pakistan benefits from duty free exports on the condition that it ratifies and effectively implements specified international conventions on human rights and environmental degradation.