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Friday, March 25, 2011
Pakistan condemns desecration of the holy Quran* FO spokeswoman says the act poses threat to peace, security and inter-religious harmony
* Killing of innocent people in drone attacks totally unacceptable
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday again condemned the desecration of the holy Quran in the US, saying that this fanatic act was a serious threat to religious harmony.
Foreign Office (FO) spokeswomen, Tehmina Janjua, in her weekly briefing said, Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington and the permanent representative in New York have written a strong demarche to the US government and the UN in which they have highlighted the views of the Muslims on the issue.
She said even President Asif Ali Zardari started his address to the joint sitting of parliament by condemning the desecration of the holy Quran.
Tehmina said the Pakistani ambassador in Geneva has also taken up the issue in the Human Rights Council, by condemning the act on behalf of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Pakistan.
The FO spokesperson said this act was totally unacceptable and is also a threat to peace and security besides disturbing inter-religious harmony.
Replying to a question, she said, Pakistan had great concerns over regional stability in North Africa and the Middle East. Tehmina said Pakistan supports the reconciliation and dialogue process initiated by the government in Bahrain, as it wanted peace and security in the region.
Highlighting Pakistan’s position on Bahrain, the spokesperson said, it was the government of Bahrain and the Gulf Economic Council who had decided to invite the security forces to maintain peace and security in the country.
“It is the internal decision of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),” she said, adding that the issue of security of the Pakistanis living there was being discussed with the Bahrain government.
She said Pakistan wants that the reconciliation process started by the Bahrain government should continue to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Answering another question, Tehmina said that Pakistan had never tried to block negotiations on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation and it intends to have assurance on the security of the non-nuclear states. “In fact some other countries have been engaged in blocking these negotiations since decades,” she said.
On the issue of drone attacks, the FO spokeswoman said that Pakistan had always opposed them and the killing of innocent people was totally unacceptable to it.
She said despite differences on the issue of drone attacks, Pakistan has made serious efforts to upgrade its relations with the US.
The spokesperson said the interior secretaries of Pakistan and India will be meeting on the 28th and 29th in New Delhi, and the meeting would focus on issues of terrorism, counter-narcotics and humanitarian issues.
“Pakistan believes that dialogue is the only way forward which must be uninterrupted,” she said. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk