PM,President condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures in a French magazine
21 January, 2015
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday 20,January,2015 condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures in a French magazine.
According to a press release, the president and prime minister have strongly condemned the publication, which has caused great offence to Muslims by hurting their sentiments and religious sensibilities all over the world.
The National Assembly and Senate Foreign Relations Committee have passed resolutions condemning the blasphemous publication which has hurt the core belief of all Muslims, the press release added. It said, "We believe that freedom of expression should not be misused as means to attack or hurt public sentiments or religious beliefs. This is an attempt to divide peoples and civilizations." It further stated that there was a need to promote harmony among peoples and communities instead of reinforcing stereotypes and making people alienated in their own countries.
Advisor to prime minister on national security and foreign affairs has written a letter to the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) secretary general recommending a legal action to seek an apology from the French magazine and "joint action by the Ummah to get criminalisation of all acts of Islamophobia".
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the European Office of the United Nations in Geneva Ambassador Zamir Akram has also stated that freedom of expression does not provide a licence to insult the religious beliefs of people. He stressed that the right of free speech under the UN conventions is subjected to limitations, specifically to prevent any incitement to violence.
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