Written question asked by Lord Singh of Wimbledon (Crossbench) on Monday, 29 January 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 February 2024. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Monday, 12 February 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Pakistan: Women

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the sanctioning of Mian Abdul Haq as a human rights violator on 9 December 2022, what assessment they have made of whether that sanctioning has been successful in preventing the forced conversion and abduction of women and girls from minority communities, and what further representations they have made to the government of Pakistan in this regard.

Answer: The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. Designating Mian Abdul Haq sent a clear message to those responsible that the UK considers this behaviour unacceptable. We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), women and girls' rights and gender equality at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Through our Aawaz programme, we continue to tackle issues of gender-based violence and work directly with communities to raise their awareness of the harms of early and forced marriages.

Secondary information