Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned the “despicable act” of public burning of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Sweden on the occasion of Eidul Azha. Such wilful incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence cannot be justified under pretext of freedom of expression and protest, a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement. “Under international law, states are duty bound to prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred, leading to incitement of violence. “We reiterate that the right to freedom of expression and opinion does not provide a license to stoke hatred and sabotage inter-faith harmony,” the statement said. It added Pakistan’s concerns about the incident are being conveyed to Sweden.

Source: The Nation June 29, 2023 16:13 UTC