British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has asked Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan to “guarantee fundamental rights” to all citizens of south Asian countries.
The matter was raised in the British Parliament by Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon with Pakistani’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari.
The issue cropped up after recent reports of the killing of Mehmood Khan, an Ahmadi in northern city of Peshawar. He is the fourth Ahmadi to be shot dead in the city. Ahmadi are minorities in Pakistan and their views are considered heretical in mainstream Islam.
While raising the matter of killing, a British MP said, “We should not ignore humanitarian injustices and plight of persecuted minorities.
“Hatred preached in Pakistan, ends up on the streets of Britain and it is in the interest of our own security that the British Government makes it clear to Pakistan, that state supported persecution must end,” he said.
India has highlighted the deteriorating situation of minorities in the Pakistan multiple times in the past, especially the forceful conversion of minority Hindu, Sikhs and Christians.
Last week, India had summoned top Pakistani diplomat in Delhi after the management of the Holy Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara was given over to a panel with no Sikh representation.