PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Afghanistan: Minority Groups (3 July 2018)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Afghan counterpart on (a) relations between majority and minority communities and (b) the safety of Sikhs and Hindus in that country.

Asked by:
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour)

The British Government condemned the 1 July attack on a group of Sikhs and Hindus in Jalalabad. On Twitter I 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 British Government 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.

Answered by:
Mark Field (Conservative)
6 July 2018