Recommendation 33

HM Government Acknowledged

Response: We recognise that religious minorities face obstacles in freely practising their religion and continue to face discrimination and violence in Pakistan. We consistently advocate for minority rights and provide direct support through programming and welcome any steps taken by the Government of Pakistan to address persecution, promote respect for all religions and increase tolerance for religious minorities. We assess that there are significant safeguarding risks for religious minority groups or communities associated with programming explicitly focussed on these issues. Therefore, we take a proportionate, and where necessary, a discreet approach, as advised by the minority organisations themselves, and only in situations where we have the expertise and capability to understand and manage those risks. In 2021, the Chevening scholarships, for example, made an explicit effort to encourage and support applications from minority groups. UK aid has helped thousands of children from religious minorities to attend school and gain skills. Our Aawaz II programme works directly with religious minorities to advance their rights and promote social tolerance in Punjab and KP. We routinely assess how to ensure the principles of inclusion (including religious diversity) can be taken into account across all programmes, both during programme design and implementation. This may not be possible in all programmes given that beneficiaries may not overtly identify themselves as members of a minority group.