ISLAMABAD: A day after Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had informed the Senate that he had written a letter to the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the issue of blasphemous content to seek member countries’ support over the matter, Turkey on Wednesday agreed to raise the issue along with Pakistan with the Dutch government.
Turkey and Pakistan have agreed to raise the issue “with one voice” under the banner of OIC.
According to the official Twitter handle of Govt of Pakistan: “Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to raise the issue of blasphemous cartoon competition with the Dutch government with one voice under OIC’s banner.”
Pakistan and Turkey have agreed to raise the issue of blasphemous cartoon competition with the Dutch government with one voice under OIC’s banner. pic.twitter.com/IDqFRcWETQ
— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) August 29, 2018
On Tuesday, Qureshi had informed the Senate that he had written a letter to the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the issue of blasphemous content, asking him to call a meeting in Jeddah of OIC permanent representatives.
Speaking in the Senate, Qureshi had said if steps were not taken against blasphemy it would ignite religious extremism.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that his government will raise the issue of blasphemous caricatures in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) while putting the blame of such incidents on lack of unity among the Muslim countries.
In his maiden address to the Senate, PM Imran had called it a “collective failure” of Muslim countries for the absence of an international policy against blasphemous content.
The prime minister had said that though the government will raise the issue with the UN, he didn’t think it would be of much use, adding that his government will raise the matter in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and formulate a collective policy which could then be presented at international forums.
Further, on August 20, the Foreign Office (FO) had called the charge d’affaires of Netherlands to record protest against the “announcement by the leader of Dutch Freedom Party and Parliamentarian Geert Wilders to hold a competition of blasphemous caricatures”.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office had said that Pakistan’s Ambassador in The Hague has also been directed “to forcefully raise the issue with the Dutch government along with Ambassadors of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states”.
