We are aware of reports of the raid on the Ahmadiyya offices and of the arrest of four Admadiyya in Rabwah, Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report.<\/p>
We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including religious minorities, with the Pakistani Government at a senior level. During his visit to Pakistan in November, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), raised religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities, and to uphold the rule of law.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4014", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Sharma"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Reading West"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alok Sharma"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-12-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "56698"} , {"_value" : "56699"} ], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-12-13T16:49:21.753Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-12-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Pakistan: Ahmadiyya"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the raid of the publications office of the Ahmadi Muslim community headquarters in Rabwah, Pakistan on 5 December 2016.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"} ], "uin" : "56697"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/625953", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/625953/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We are aware of Mr Shakoor and Mr Sipra's cases. I remain concerned about reports of abuses against Ahmadiyya and other religious minorities in Pakistan. The Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs. Our concerns are reflected in the latest update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office annual human rights report, which can be found on www.gov.uk/fco<\/a>.<\/p> We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities, including the misuse of the blasphemy laws, 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. We continue to urge Pakistan to honour in practice its human rights obligations, including those related to religious minorities.<\/p> <\/p>"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-10-31", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Pakistan on the cases of Abdul Shakoor and Mazhar Sipra.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4386", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Margaret Ferrier"}
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