FM Qureshi calls Dutch counterpart, stresses on limiting Islamophobic trends
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi held telephonic conversation with his Dutch counterpart.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi telephone his Dutch counterpart second time this and noted efforts made by the two governments in preventing the blasphemous competition.
During his telephonic conversation, the Foreign Minister FM stressed on the need for raising awareness, limiting Islamophobic trends and building bridges among civilizations.
The development comes a day after Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said he has canceled a planned blasphemous contest following death threats and concerns other people could be put at risk.
In a written statement issued Thursday night, Wilders said “to avoid the risk of victims of violence, I have decided not to let the blasphemous contest go ahead.”
The contest was to have been held at the tightly guarded offices of his Party for Freedom in the Dutch parliament building.
The planned contest sparked angry protests in Pakistan on Thursday.
MAJOR DIPLOMATIC SUCCESS
Earlier today, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that cancellation of blasphemous caricature contest in Netherlands was a major diplomatic success of Pakistan.
Talking to newsmen outside Parliament House here he said Pakistan responded to the development in close coordination with Turkey and other members of the Organization of Islamic Conference.
The Minister, however,added that there was a need for a global strategy to tackle such issues . He said only a handful of elements in the West create fissures by raising such issues repeatedly. He said majority of people in the Western world including government of Netherlands were against blasphemous caricatures. He said such controversies injure sentiments of over two billion Muslims all over the world and therefore, laws should be framed by the West against such provocative actions.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the Foreign Minister to raise the issue at the United Nations. About briefing to the Prime Minister and Federal Ministers at the GHQ, he said the army top brass briefed them on important security and defence related issues.
