PAKISTAN on Monday (13) condemned what it called the “increasingly racist and Islamophobic” comments against British Pakistanis, while stressing the deep ties with the UK and the contribution of the community.
The Foreign Office issued a statement in response to media queries following recent remarks directed towards the Pakistani community in the UK after Tesla CEO Elon Musk sparked a debate surrounding the term “Asian grooming gangs”.
“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,” Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said.
The term “grooming gangs” has been used to describe the abuse of vulnerable girls in several English towns and cities, which was exposed more than a decade ago. Indian politician, Priyanka Chaturvedi, wrote on X, “Repeat after me, they aren’t ASIAN Grooming Gangs but PAKISTANI grooming gangs.”
Musk replied with a terse “true,” signalling his support for her remarks Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman said that the Pakistani-UK friendship is characterised by warmth, cordiality, robust cooperation and trust. The relationship remains an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy, he said.
“The deep and multifaceted relations cover important areas including trade and investment, education, security, counter-terrorism, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts,” he added.
Khan said British nationals of Pakistani origin have a rich history of contributing to the UK’s growth, development and, indeed, freedom.
He added 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.
“British Pakistanis today form the backbone of the UK’s health, retail and services sectors. 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,” he said. Khan also said British Pakistanis have excelled in sports and arts and their cuisine and music enrich British culture.
“To demonise such a large and diverse community on the basis of the actions of a few individuals needs to be condemned,” he added.
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