Norwegian envoy summoned

Pakistan summoned the Norwegian ambassador on Saturday to convey the deep concern of the government over the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand, the Foreign Office said.

Dr Mohammad Faisal, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, said in a statement that Pakistan's condemnation of the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran was reiterated.

"It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression," the Norwegian envoy was told.

Dr Faisal said the Norwegian authorities were urged to bring those responsible to justice and prevent the recurrence of any such incident in future.

He further said the ambassador of Pakistan in Oslo has also been instructed to convey Pakistan's protest and deep concern to the Norwegian authorities.

The incident took place on November 16, 2019, when a protest by a far-right group 'Stop Islamization of Norway' (SIAN) took a violent turn after the group's leader Lars Thorsen tried to burn a copy of the Holy Quran, leading to a brawl between the leader and the counter-protesters in the Norwegian city of Kristianland.

Turkey also condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in strong words on Friday.

"We strongly condemn the disrespect for our Holy Book, the Holy Quran, in a demonstration organised by an anti-Islamic organisation on 16 November 2019 in Kristiansand, Norway," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

"We expect that such actions to be prevented and those who are responsible to be brought to justice as soon as possible," it stated, adding, "These attacks are not only aimed at Muslims, but also pose a threat to all humanity."