ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Monday condemned the increasingly racist and Islamophobic remarks directed at the British-Pakistani diaspora, highlighting the strong ties between the two countries and the valuable contributions of British Pakistanis.
The Foreign Office in a statement said Pakistan-UK friendship is characterised by warmth, cordiality, robust cooperation and trust.
“Nurtured over decades this relationship remains an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The deep and multifaceted relations cover important areas including trade and investment, education, security, counter-terrorism, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts,” the statement added.
The statement came after tech billionaire Elon Musk became involved in a contentious debate over the term “Asian grooming gangs,” with his comments raising concerns about perpetuating harmful anti-Pakistani stereotypes.
Musk criticised the UK government over grooming gangs, using his platform X to accuse a prominent Labour leader of being a “rape genocide apologist” and calling for her and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be jailed.
FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan in a statement said the presence of 1.7 million strong British-Pakistani diaspora provides the strongest link between the two friendly countries.
As such, we note with deep concern the increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary in the UK that is aimed at conflating the reprehensible actions of a few individuals with the entire 1.7 million British Pakistani diaspora,” noted the statement.
The foreign office said British nationals of Pakistani origin have a rich history of contributing to the United Kingdom’s growth, development and, indeed, freedom.
The statement maintained that an exceptionally large number of predominantly Muslim soldiers from what is now Pakistan served in the British Indian army and laid down their lives for the cause of democracy in both World Wars.
The foreign office said British Pakistanis today form the backbone of the UK’s health, retail and services sectors.
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“Many British Pakistanis hold high public office, and thousands serve their communities as Members of Parliament, mayors, councillors, and as members of local police and municipal services. British Pakistanis have excelled in sports and arts. Their cuisine and music enriches British culture,” the statement said.
The statement concluded that to demonise such a large and diverse community on the basis of the actions of a few individuals needs to be condemned.
