Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL749):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Pakistan regarding reports that Pakistani school textbooks encourage religious discrimination. (HL749)
Tabled on: 30 November 2023
Answer:
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon:
We continue to engage on the critical need for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Pakistani schools. At Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Review in January, the UK recommended action to ensure that school textbooks are inclusive of all religions, and urged Pakistan to ensure that religious minorities can access suitable alternatives to compulsory Qu’ranic studies. In July 2023, the British High Commission participated in a civil society-led panel discussion on Minorities and Education. We have previously supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks.
Date and time of answer: 14 Dec 2023 at 16:35.
