Pakistan on Monday summoned Dutch Charge d'Affaires and lodged a strong protest on the proposed competition of blasphemous caricatures by a Dutch parliamentarian. "The Charge d'Affaires of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday and a strong protest was lodged on the announcement by leader of the Dutch Freedom Party and Parliamentarian Geert Wilders to hold a competition of blasphemous caricatures," Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said.
He said that deep concern was conveyed at this deliberate and malicious attempt to defame Islam. He said that the federal cabinet, in its meeting held on Monday, strongly condemned this abominable and reprehensible plan. He said that the Ambassador of Pakistan in The Hague has been instructed to forcefully raise the issue with the Dutch government along with ambassadors of OIC member states. He further said that Pakistan's Permanent Representatives to the United Nations in New York and Geneva have also been directed to take up the matter with the UN Secretary General, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN related bodies and procedures.
He said that former Foreign Minister Abdullah Hussain Haroon had written to OIC secretary general in this matter, who in turn has written to the Dutch foreign minister on behalf of the OIC, protesting against this abominable event. "The matter would also be discussed in the forthcoming meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2018," he said. He said that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting and raise the issue of blasphemous caricatures. "The government of Pakistan would continue to vigorously pursue the matter with the Dutch government and raise it at the relevant international fora from preventing this abhorrent act taking place," he added.
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