Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that the ambassador Marc Baréty was handed over a dossier by the special secretary (Europe).
A statement of the foreign ministry said that Pakistan expressed deep concerns over the recent systematic resurgence of blasphemous acts of republication of caricatures of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and desecration of the Holy Quran by certain irresponsible elements.
“It was underscored that such illegal and Islamophobic acts hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression,” it said.
It was further conveyed that Pakistan strongly condemned equating Islam with terrorism, for narrow electoral and political gains. “Such provocative statements and actions were fanning inter-religious hatred, hostility and confrontation thereby imperiling efforts of peace and harmony among various segments of society,” said the statement.
The French President recently in a brazen statement said that France will continue to publish offensive cartoons against the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) which drew strong reaction from Muslims.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in a statement on Monday has also urged the UN to take notice and action against the hate-based narrative against Islam.
He said irresponsible statement of the French President has added fuel to the fire. He said nobody has the right to hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims under the garb of freedom of expression.
The Foreign Minister said the seeds of hate that are being cultivated today will polarize the society and have serious consequences.
On the instructions of the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister said a comprehensive resolution will be presented at the next meeting of the OIC foreign ministers, proposing to observe 15th of March as the international day against Islamophobia.
Earlier Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet regretted that the French president had instead chosen to encourage Islamophobia by “attacking Islam rather than the terrorists who carry out violence, be it Muslims, white supremacists or Nazi ideologists”.
“By attacking Islam, clearly without having any understanding of it, Macron has attacked and hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims in Europe and across the world,” he said, adding, "The last thing the world wants or needs is further polarization”.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to Facebook's CEO, the prime minister asked the social media giant to place a ban on Islamophobia and hate against Islam just as it had placed on the Holocaust.
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