Pakistan conveys its concerns to France over Islamophobia

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in response to the growing trend of Islamophobia strongly condemned the French magazine Charlie Hebdo illustrations and said the feelings of millions of Muslims were hurt because of the disrespectful illustrations.

The Foreign Office issued a video message of the foreign minister on Thursday in which Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on behalf of him and the Pakistan government he wanted to convey that people are irritated on the illustrations, no matter how much condemnation is done, it is less.

Qureshi said, “The government of Pakistan has informed the government of France about its concern. We have delivered our sentiments to the government of France through their ambassador.”

Qureshi said, “He hoped not only such disrespectful act should be repeated but those who did this should be brought to the court.”

“We are seeing that the rehabilitation of Islamophobia, racism, and Xenophobia is growing in the world,” he said.

The foreign minister said, “Pakistan has identified this issue on every global forum.”

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Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, identified the matter and demanded the world that this issue should be resolved.

He urged at the international level, we should sit together and think about how to stop the ritual that vulnerable the feelings of others, and how to stop this.

He reiterated that Pakistan is a democratic country and believes in freedom of expression. The foreign minister cautioned that freedom of expression does not mean that you have got a licence to hurt the feelings of others.