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860578

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether officials in her Department have held discussions with the Pakistan Government on the inclusion of religious tolerance in textbooks as part of the Punjab Education Support Programme.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	131935
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2018 answer text <p>Working in partnership with the Government of Punjab DFID has supported the Punjab Curriculum and Text Book Board to redesign specific textbooks for children in grades one to five. DFID Pakistan officials hold regular meetings with the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board on progress to redesign textbooks to improve their quality and make them more inclusive. It remains the responsibility of the Punjab Textbook Board to approve the redesigned books and to fund their printing and distribution.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 15/03/2018 12:39:07 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

860771

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made on assisting the Federal Government of Pakistan with drafting a new educational curriculum to ensure the removal of biased content and derogatory language toward religious minorities.
	tabling member constituency	East Ham
	tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
	uin	132128
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2018 answer text <p>Under Article Eighteen of the Constitution of Pakistan responsibility for curriculum has been devolved to provincial governments. DFID Pakistan’s education programmes are at the provincial level in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. These two programmes are working in partnership with these provincial governments to redesign curricula to improve quality, relevance and inclusion. It is the responsibility of the provincial government curriculum boards to approve curricula.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 15/03/2018 12:38:22 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

882402

	registered interest
	date	13/04/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations his Department has made to the Pakistani Government on ensuring that freedom of religion and belief commitments to education for religious minorities are upheld in that country.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
	tabling member printed	David Linden
	uin	135464
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2018 answer text <p>The UK Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief. The UK raises human rights and the rights of minorities in Pakistan on a regular basis at the highest levels and we ensure our development assistance targets the poor, regardless of race, religion, gender, social background or nationality. The UK funded education programmes in Pakistan support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum, which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity. Independent evaluations have confirmed this curriculum to be based on the values of democracy, pluralism and peace aimed at educating students to be able to think critically about these issues.</p> answering member constituency North East Bedfordshire answering member printed Alistair Burt question first answered 19/04/2018 09:31:11 answering member 1201 label Biography information for Alistair Burt
	tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

390013

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2015
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to the authorities in Pakistan to ensure the protection of religious minorities across Pakistan; whether they plan to make representations to the government of Pakistan urging them to reform the blasphemy laws and to provide effective safeguards against their abuse; and whether they plan to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Asia Bibi, and take effective steps to guarantee her safety and that of her family<b>.</b>
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL1448
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/07/2015 answer text <p>We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to fulfil the human rights obligations set out in the Constitution of Pakistan and international law, including those related to religious minorities.</p><p>In November 2014 the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised concerns about the application of blasphemy laws in Pakistan with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised similar concerns with Prime Minister Sharif in December 2014. In June 2015, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), conveyed to the High Commissioner for Pakistan our ongoing concern about the application of the blasphemy law in Pakistan. We will continue to follow closely developments related to freedom of belief and to engage the Pakistani authorities on this issue.</p><p>We remain deeply concerned about the case of Ms Asia Bibi. We continue to work through the EU to make clear to the Pakistani authorities and people the importance we attach to this case, and our concerns about the blasphemy laws in Pakistan more broadly.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 24/07/2015 11:54:15 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

536572

	registered interest
	date	14/07/2016
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current level of violence against Hindus in Pakistan.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL1246
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2016 answer text <p>We remain concerned by ongoing reports of the persecution of the Hindu community in Pakistan. These include incidents of abduction, forced conversion and the forced marriage of Hindu women to Muslim men. We regularly raise our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities, including Hindus, with the Government of Pakistan. The former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), pressed Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all its citizens, including minority religious communities, during his visit to Islamabad in March. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including on freedom of religion or belief, and to uphold the rule of law.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 29/07/2016 13:57:55 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

578558

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2016
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Pakistan about the kidnapping and forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls and young women, the alignment of Pakistani Law with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and freedom of religion.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL1702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/09/2016 answer text <p>We are concerned about continuing reports of abuses against religious minorities in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs or gender. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.</p><p>We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of vulnerable groups, including women and religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. In April, the previous Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Philip Hammond), raised the importance of safeguarding the rights of all minorities with Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.</p><p>It is encouraging that the government of Pakistan has enacted legislation to protect religious minorities. The UK Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities and women, and to uphold the rule of law.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 19/09/2016 09:20:22 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

678830

	registered interest
	date	25/01/2017
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the forthcoming periodic review of human rights in Pakistan, whether they intend to ask the government of Pakistan to affirm its commitment to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the freedom to change one’s belief or not have any kind of religious belief.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL4982
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2017 answer text <p>As my noble friend Baroness Goldie made clear in the House of Lords on 8 September 2016, &quot;the Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief, as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights&quot;. We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of religion or belief with the government of Pakistan at a senior level. During his visit to Pakistan in November 2016, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), discussed religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), raised our concerns about religious minorities with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights during his visit to Pakistan in January 2017. The Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice all its human rights obligations, including its commitment to Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to uphold the rule of law.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 06/02/2017 17:54:03 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1130815

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that modules which promote freedom of religion or belief and religious tolerance are included in all future Department for International Development capacity building programmes in Pakistan.
	tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
	uin	HL16182
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2019 answer text <p>All DFID programmes in Pakistan, including capacity building programmes, support the poorest and most excluded people and communities regardless of race, religion, social background or nationality. The promotion of Freedom of Religious belief and religious tolerance is an important aspect of this approach. Since 2010, DFID’s skills Development Programme has trained over 332,000 poor and vulnerable people to improve their employment prospects, including people from religious minorities. We regularly raise the importance of religious tolerance at senior levels with the Government of Pakistan.</p> answering member printed Baroness Sugg question first answered 19/06/2019 11:28:36 answering member 4584 label Biography information for Baroness Sugg
	tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1010109

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL11556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2018 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan. The British Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. Pakistan is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) human rights priority countries, as set out in the FCO's 2017 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report available at the gov.uk website.</p><p>We regularly raise the issues of freedom of religion and belief and the protection of minority religious communities, with the Pakistan government at a senior level. When the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Imran Khan in August, she highlighted the importance of Pakistan delivering on its commitments to strengthen institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law, and to advance the rights of minorities. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018.</p><p>Under the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the British Government has supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom.</p><p>The UK raised concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief at Pakistan's UN Universal Periodic Review of human rights in November 2017. We pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities from all faith communities.</p><p>We continue to urge Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations, including engaging with the UN and other international bodies, and to ensure that the rights of minorities are respected.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 03/12/2018 13:51:20 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry

1010110

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2018
	answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept id	16
	answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
	hansard heading	Pakistan: Religious Freedom
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) support religious pluralism, and (2) promote freedom of religion or belief, in Pakistan.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Coventry
	uin	HL11557
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/12/2018 answer text <p>We remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in Pakistan. The British Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. Pakistan is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) human rights priority countries, as set out in the FCO 2017 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report available at the gov.uk website.</p><p>We regularly raise the issues of freedom of religion and belief and the protection of minority religious communities, with the Pakistan government at a senior level. When the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Imran Khan in August, she highlighted the importance of Pakistan delivering on its commitments to strengthen institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law, and to advance the rights of minorities. I raised our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief and the protection of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018.</p><p>Under the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy, the British Government has supported projects in Pakistan to promote greater tolerance and religious freedom.</p><p>The UK raised concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief at Pakistan's UN Universal Periodic Review of human rights in November 2017. We pressed Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities from all faith communities.</p><p>We continue to urge Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations, including engaging with the UN and other international bodies, and to ensure that the rights of minorities are respected.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 03/12/2018 13:52:23 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
	tabling member	4266 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Coventry