ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Friday, alleged the United States’ involvement in “all the wars after World War”, accusing the US and its allies of “destroying several countries in the Middle East”, as the upper house of parliament passed a unanimous resolution to express its “deepest dismay and shock at the vicious and vile act of the burning, tearing and desecrating the holy Quran by racists, bigoted and extremist leaders in Sweden and The Netherlands.”
“The US…the West…they are the central characters behind all the wars—they have sown the seeds of extremism and terrorism—the double standards of the West are fuelling Islamophobia which is a threat to the world peace,” the defence minister said at the Senate sitting.
He demanded of the Western countries to take concrete steps to stop Islamophobic incidents.
“The freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the religious sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world,” Asif said.
“The existence of the countries like India and Israel is based on extremism — highest order of tyranny is meted out at helpless Palestinians under the patronage of state machinery supported by the US and the UK (United Kingdom),” the minister deplored.
Pakistan strongly condemns abhorrent act of desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
Up to 40 Palestinians have been killed, so far, by the Israeli forces this month, he added.
The defence minister said the ideology of BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP)-led extremist government in India is anti-Muslim.
“The Indian prime minister is the greatest terrorist of the world who was involved in the massacre of countless innocent Muslims of (Indian) Gujrat,” Asif deplored.
On the occasion, different senators including Law Minister Azam Tarar, State Law Minister Shahadat Awan, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Faiz Muhammad, Faisal Javed Khan, Irfan Siddiqui, Anwaarul Haq Kakar, and Kamran Michael spoke in strong condemnation of the desecration of the holy Quran in Sweden and in the Netherlands.
Later, the house passed the unanimous resolution in denunciation of the desecration incidents.
Moved by Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the resolution protested to the governments of Sweden and The Netherlands for allowing the organisers of “these extremists and fanatics to stage the burning of holy Quran in the name of freedom of expression.”
The pretext of freedom of expression cannot be used to attack the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world, the resolution said.
It urged the federal government to summon the ambassadors of Sweden and The Netherlands, and convey the “strong sentiments, shock and anger felt by the people of Pakistan against the desecration of the holy Quran.”
The resolution said that Sweden and The Netherlands must be stressed upon to take firm lawful action against those who desecrated the holy Quran.
Through the resolution, the house condemned the acts of Islamophobia being “hateful, vicious, highly explosive and contrary to the principles of international law.”
The house expressed the collective will of the State and people of Pakistan against the act of desecration of the holy Quran by “racists and extremists.”
“This vicious crime is a calculated and deliberate attempt to harm interfaith harmony, social peace, (and) religious tolerance,” the document stated.
It said that such acts will ultimately prove to be divisive for peace and stability among countries, cultures, and civilisations.
The Senate urged the Muslims to maintain “calm and composure and promote Islam’s message of peace, tolerance and universal brotherhood.”
The resolution asked the federal government to coordinate with the members of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) to take a unified position on this issue, which, it said, is central to the core beliefs of all Muslims. It said Pakistan should take up this issue before the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is meeting in Geneva next week.
The house was adjourned till Monday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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