Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL14129):
Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Kavita Kumari was (1) abducted at gunpoint, and (2) forcibly converted, in Kandhkot, Sindh when she was 13 years old. (HL14129)
Tabled on: 11 March 2021
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. The FCDO does not comment on individual cases.
Pakistan remains a FCDO Human Rights Priority Country. We regularly raise our concerns on these issues with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, I raised our human rights concerns, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021. I also raised the human rights situation in Pakistan with the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior, Shahzad Akbar, on 7 December 2020.
Through the UK’s development support, we have worked with the Government of Pakistan to strengthen and improve Pakistan’s police and judicial systems.
Date and time of answer: 25 Mar 2021 at 17:54.
——————
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL14130):
Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that the custodian of Bharchundi Shareef Dargah, Mian Mithu, has been responsible for forcibly converting underage Hindu girls in Sindh, including Kavita Kumari. (HL14130)
Tabled on: 11 March 2021
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. The FCDO does not comment on individual cases.
Pakistan remains a FCDO Human Rights Priority Country. We regularly raise our concerns on these issues with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, I raised our human rights concerns, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021. I also raised the human rights situation in Pakistan with the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior, Shahzad Akbar, on 7 December 2020.
Through the UK’s development support, we have worked with the Government of Pakistan to strengthen and improve Pakistan’s police and judicial systems.
Date and time of answer: 25 Mar 2021 at 17:52.
—————-
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL14131):
Question:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of Hindu girls who have been forcibly (1) converted, and (2) married, at the Bharchundi Shareef Dargah. (HL14131)
Tabled on: 11 March 2021
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. The FCDO does not comment on individual cases.
Pakistan remains a FCDO Human Rights Priority Country. We regularly raise our concerns on these issues with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, I raised our human rights concerns, including Freedom of Religion or Belief, with Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February 2021. I also raised the human rights situation in Pakistan with the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior, Shahzad Akbar, on 7 December 2020.
Through the UK’s development support, we have worked with the Government of Pakistan to strengthen and improve Pakistan’s police and judicial systems.
Date and time of answer: 25 Mar 2021 at 17:47.
