• Imran Khan condemned desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
• He said UNGA passed resolution on combatting Islamophobia during PTI tenure
• The resolution recognized Islamophobic acts were not freedom of speech.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has strongly condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.

In a statement on social media site Twitter, the former premier strongly condemned the burning of Holy Quran yesterday at a protest in Sweden.

He said during the PTI government’s tenure last year, the UN General Assembly passed the OIC-sponsored landmark resolution International Day to Combat Islamophobia,

He said the resolution recognized that Islamophobic acts were not an expression of freedom of speech.

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Strongly condemn burning of Holy Quran yesterday at a protest in Sweden. Last March on our govt’s initiative the UNGA passed OIC sponsored landmark Res on International Day to Combat Islamophobia. It recognised that Islamophobic acts were not an expression of freedom of speech.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 22, 2023

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the despicable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden.

On his Twitter handle, the prime minister said that no words were enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden.

“The garb of the freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world. This is unacceptable,” he added.

A day earlier, the Foreign Officer strongly condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.

In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the “senseless and provocative Islamophobic act” hurts the religious sensitivities of over 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

“Such actions are not covered under any legitimate expression of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, which carries responsibilities under international human rights law, such as the obligation not to carry out hate speech and incite people to violence.”

“Islam is a religion of peace and Muslims, including in Pakistan, believe in respecting all religions. These principles must be supported by all.”

“The international community needs to show a common resolve against Islamopohbia, xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief, and work together for promoting inter-faith harmony and peaceful coexistence,’ the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said Pakistan’s concerns are being conveyed to the authorities in Sweden and urged them to be mindful of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and Muslims worldwide and take steps to prevent Islamophobic acts.

In a deplorable act, Rasmus Paludan, a politician from the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burnt a copy of the Holy Quran during the protest on Saturday afternoon outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

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