Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday called the Russian President Vladimir Putin to appreciate his stance on the limitations of freedom of speech.

PM Khan wrote on his Twitter, “Just spoke to President Putin primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet PBUH.”

Just spoke to President Putin primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet PBUH. He is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Prophet PBUH

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 17, 2022

“He is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Prophet PBUH,” he went on to mention.

Read more: Bravo Putin

Both officials also discussed ways to move forward on trade and other beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and Russia. “We invited each other to visit our countries,” PM Khan said in a connecting tweet.

At an annual news conference in December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin had termed insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a violation of freedom of religion and the holy feelings of people who profess Islam.

Read more: Pakistan can progress only by following teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): PM

PM Khan had also said that Putin’s statement had reaffirmed his message that insulting the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was not ‘freedom of expression’.