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
King Charles Street London
SW1A 2AH
Dear David,
Thank you for your email of 4 August following the publication of an Incident Report by the International Human Rights Committee (IHRC) on the desecration of an Ahmadi Mosque in Faisalabad, Pakistan.
I share your deep concern about reports of discrimination and violence against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Pakistan.
I have publicly condemned the recent attacks against Ahamidiyya mosques in Faisalabad and targeted killings of Ahmadi Muslims.
The UK government’s position remains that all faiths and denominations must be able to live and worship freely.
I regularly raise the UK’s concerns about freedom of religion or belief with the Government of Pakistan. I did so most recently during a meeting with Pakistan’s Federal Education Minister on 28 July in London, and extensively during my visit to Pakistan in June.
During my visit, I raised the treatment of religious minorities, including Ahmadi Muslims, with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Qureshi, and Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.
I also met representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and took part in an interfaith roundtable to better understand their concerns.
Officials at the British High Commission in Islamabad also continue to raise the UK’s concerns.
Last month, they met with the Punjab Minister of Law, Raja Basharat, and the Punjab Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to discuss the attacks against Ahamidiyya mosques.
We will continue to press the Pakistani authorities to conduct thorough investigations into credible allegations and to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of belief, gender, or ethnicity.
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
