Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL5971):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan about freedom of religion or belief in view of reports that that government’s State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs has voiced support for an anti-Ahmadiyya twitter campaign by calling for Ahmadis to be punished by death. (HL5971)
Tabled on: 22 June 2020
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. We are concerned by language that may incite violence against any religious or ethnic groups.
We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens, regardless of their belief.
I raised the UK Government’s concerns about the protection of the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 27 February and our concerns about the comments made by the Pakistan Minister of State on 5 June.
I then raised our concerns again about Freedom of Religion or Belief with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights by letter on 5 June.
I also raised the UK Government’s concerns about the protection of the Ahmadiyya community, including comments made by the Pakistan Minister of State, with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Nafees Zakaria, on 12 and 27 May. The British High Commissioner to Pakistan met Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights on 8 June and raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan, including the comments made by the Pakistan Minister of State.
Date and time of answer: 03 Jul 2020 at 11:33.
Our reference: MC2020/08596
Lord Alton of Liverpool
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0AA
7 July 2020
Dear David,
Thank you for your email of 4 May on the Anti-Ahmadiyya statements made by a Minister of State of the Government of Pakistan.
Thank you for sharing the document from the Coalition for Religious Equity and Inclusive Development (CREID). I share your deep concern at this incident and the sentiments expressed in the statements by the Minister of State on 29 April. I am glad to see that the statements have since been removed.
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of its citizens, regardless of their belief.
I raised the UK Government’s concerns about the protection of the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 27 February.
I raised the UK Government’s concerns about the protection of the Ahmadiyya community with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Nafees Zakaria, on 12 and 26 May.
Most recently, I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief in Pakistan by letter with Dr Mazari on 5 June. In addition, The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner CMG, met with Dr Mazari and raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief with on 8 June.
We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, as laid down in the constitution of Pakistan and in accordance with international standards. It is vital that Pakistan guarantees the rights of all its citizens, regardless of gender, ethnicity or belief.
Yours sincerely,
LORD (TARIQ) AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON
Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
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