ISLAMABAD (APP): The Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday noted with deep concern the increasingly racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary in the United Kingdom that was aimed at conflating the reprehensible actions of a few individuals with the entire 1.7 million British Pakistani diaspora.
In response to media queries regarding the recent spate of xenophobic remarks directed towards British-Pakistanis, the spokesperson said: “Pakistan-UK friendship is characterized by warmth, cordiality, robust cooperation and trust. Nurtured over decades this relationship remains an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy.”
Commenting more on the bilateral relations, he added: “The deep and multifaceted relations cover important areas including trade and investment, education, security, counter-terrorism, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts. The presence of 1.7 million strong British-Pakistani diaspora provides the strongest link between the two friendly countries.”
He said British-Pakistanis have a rich history of contributing to the United Kingdom’s growth, development and, indeed, freedom. 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.
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“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. British-Pakistanis have excelled in sports and arts. Their cuisine and music enriches British culture,” he said adding, “To demonize such a large and diverse community on the basis of the actions of a few individuals needs to be condemned.”
MOFA’s reaction came after Tesla founder Elon Musk falsely accused British-Pakistanis of running grooming gangs. He spent days posting messages on his social media site X accusing Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute gangs of men who raped young girls when Starmer was director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013.
Musk’s posts prompted wider response, including from a British minister, who Musk has described as a “rape genocide apologist”. He said the US billionaire knew “absolutely nothing” about the child sexual abuse scandals he has recently been commenting on.