In the face of criticism from the United States for encouraging ‘unhelpful resolutions, especially on issues relating to religious freedom and the Middle East’, Pakistan said it wanted ‘freedom of expression’ to be balanced with ‘respect for religion’, reported The Hindu. According to a cable sent by the US Embassy in Islamabad May 12, 2008, Pakistani diplomat Hasan Javed said, “We are not as advanced as you are in terms of respect for freedom of religion and could not always control the reactions of sometimes ignorant crowds.”
