PARIS/ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs has summoned Pakistan’s envoy to protest remarks by President Arif Alvi that a French bill cracking down on ‘radical Islam’ stigmatises Muslims.
Addressing a conference on religion on Saturday, Alvi said: “When you see that laws are being changed in favour of a majority to isolate a minority, that is a dangerous precedent.”
Specifically referring to the legislation drafted after the beheading of a French teacher by a young man over blasphemous caricatures of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Alvi said: “When you insult the Holy Prophet (PBUH), you insult all Muslims.”
“I urge the political leadership of France not to entrench these attitudes into laws […] You have to bring people together — not to stamp a religion in a certain manner and create disharmony among the people or create bias.”
Pakistan was one of several Muslim countries that saw angry anti-French protests in October over President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the right to show blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Islamabad does not have an ambassador in France after its last ambassador Moinul Haque was transferred to China in July.
The French foreign ministry said late Monday it had called in Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to mark “our surprise and our disapproval [over Alvi’s remarks], given that the bill contains no discriminatory element.”
‘CONSTRUCTIVE ATTITUDE’
“It is guided by the basic principles of freedom of religion and conscience, makes no distinction between the different religions and applies therefore equally to all faiths,” the ministry said.
“Pakistan must understand this and adopt a constructive attitude for our bilateral relations,” it added.
The bill adopted by the lower house of the French parliament last week is dubbed the “anti-separatism” bill in reference to Macron’s claim that the so-called Islamists are closing themselves off from French society by refusing to embrace secularism, gender equality and other French values.
The legislation significantly expands the state’s powers to close religious organisations and places of worship if they are found to air “theories or ideas” that “provoke hate or violence towards a person or people”.
It also creates a new crime of “separatism” — described as threatening a public servant in order to gain “a total or partial exemption or a different application of the rules” — that is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Prime Minister Imran Khan in October accused Macron of “attacking Islam” and choosing to “encourage Islamophobia” for defending the right to publish blasphemous cartoons.
France is kicking foot-ball with begging bowl of Beggars Pakistan causing consternation to head of the begging bowl Nation and SH PM IK?
What beggars and its beggar presidents can do? give gali more and more day and night standing against public hoardings?
Next foot-ball match with sheep heads in FATF season’s final on 25th Feb?
The French foreign ministry said late Monday it had called in Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to mark “our surprise and our disapproval [over Alvi’s remarks], given that the bill contains no discriminatory element.”
The way Pakistan has handled the case of France is the worst example of diplomacy in the world. A country where freedom of expression is in the worst condition and where people are killed simply because they spoke something about religion, that country is teaching secularism lessons to France. It seems as if Pakistan is deliberately trying to become the new contractor of Islam, while its own people are starving and people are killing each other in the name of religion. Second, the government of Pakistan, which has not been able to protect the rights of minorities in its country till date, is criticizing France. what is this nonsense. Pakistan officials seem to be the stupidest people in the world. These people have not even appointed their ambassador to France and they talk of breaking diplomatic relations with France.