Written question asked by Lord Singh of Wimbledon (Crossbench) on Thursday, 5 July 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 July 2018. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 July 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Afghanistan: Sikhs

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the suicide bombing resulting in the death of 19 Sikhs in Jalalabad, Afghanistan in July, what representations they intend to make to the government of India to encourage it to offer asylum or safe passage to Sikhs wishing to leave Afghanistan.

Answer: The British Government condemned the 1 July attack on a group of Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific publicly described it as “a despicable attack on Afghanistan’s historic Sikh and Hindu community”. As part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, the UK supports the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in its efforts to improve security for all communities in Afghanistan. NATO’s Resolute Support Mission is also assisting the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces with security planning for the upcoming elections. The UK regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of Afghanistan, including the need to protect the rights of all ethnic and religious groups in line with the constitution.

Secondary information