Pakistan welcomes adoption of UNHRC resolution against religious hatred

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan welcomed the adoption of the resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council on countering religious hatred.

In a statement on Twitter, the prime minister said that Incidents like public desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden could not be tolerated at all.

“All religious symbols, holy personages and Divine Books are equally sacred for followers of all faiths. Those indulging in such despicable & vile acts as the burning of the Holy Quran in the name of freedom of expression need to be called out publicly,” the prime minister stressed.

He said that humanity was better served by a consensus on the resolve to safeguard their shared values of religious tolerance, pluralism and respect for all faiths.

The prime minister also expressed gratitude to all the member countries of the UN Human Rights Council that supported the resolution moved by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Pakistan welcomes the adoption of the resolution entitled “Countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.” We are grateful to all the member countries of the UN Human Rights Council that supported the resolution moved by Pakistan on…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 12, 2023

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also welcomed the adoption of the resolution UNHRC, tabled by Pakistan on behalf on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“HRC has rightly empathized with billions of people of Islamic & other faiths. The resolution preserves the right to free speech in line with int. human rights law,” he said in a tweet.

He said the resolution represents a “proportionate, context-specific and international human rights law compliant response to prevent & counter the growing scourge of religious hatred as manifested by deliberate desecration of the Holy Quran.”

I welcome the adoption of the resolution today by UNHRC, tabled by 🇵🇰 on OIC’s behalf. HRC has rightly empathized with billions of people of Islamic & other faiths. The resolution preserves the right to free speech in line with int. human rights law. It represents a…

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) July 12, 2023

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has adopted a draft resolution by Pakistan, calling for holding accountable the perpetrators of desecrating the holy texts.

The resolution was passed with 28 votes in favour and 12 votes against while seven countries abstained as the organized an emergency session to debate incidents of the desecration of the Holy Quran.

Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has warned against inaction in combating the growing acts of desecrating the holy Quran, saying such public actions were not an expression of free speech.

“Let us be clear. The commission of these willful and public desecrations of a book sacred to billions of people is not an exercise of the right to free speech. They are an affront to our common humanity and human dignity,” Ambassador Khalil Hashmi told the UN Human Rights Council.

The resolution condemns all manifestations of religious hatred, including “public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Quran”, and underscores the need to hold those responsible to account.

It urges states to adopt laws to “address, prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.