Responding to the recent spate of “xenophobic remarks”, the Foreign Office (FO) on Monday expressed deep concern over the continued racist and Islamophobic political and media commentary directed at the Pakistani community in the United Kingdom (UK). “Pakistan-UK friendship is characterized by warmth, cordiality, strong cooperation and trust. This relationship, maintained for decades, remains an important priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” the FO spokesperson said in a statement today. “The deep and multilateral relations cover important areas including trade and investment, education, security, counter-terrorism, parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts,” said FO spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan. “The presence of the 1.7 million British-Pakistani diaspora provides the strongest link between the two friendly countries.” He said British nationals of Pakistani origin have a rich history of contributing to the growth, development and indeed freedom of the United Kingdom. An extraordinarily large number of predominantly Muslim soldiers from present-day Pakistan served in the British Indian Army and laid down their lives for democracy in both world wars, he added. The statement went on to say that British-Pakistanis form the backbone of Britain’s healthcare, retail and service sectors. Many British-Pakistani hold high public office and thousands serve their communities as members of parliament, mayors, councilors and as members of the local police and community services, the FO said. In addition, the spokesman said British-Pakistanis excelled in sports and arts. “Their cuisine and music enrich British culture,” Khan said. Responding to the xenophobic remarks, an FO spokesman said: “To demonize such a large and diverse community based on the actions of a few individuals is reprehensible.”
