Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take up the issue of sacrilegious caricatures competition in Holland at the United Nations General Assembly ‘s annual meeting scheduled to be held next month in New York, said Foreign Office spokesman Dr. Faisal.

Religious parties in Pakistan have taken to roads to protest against the blasphemous caricatures competition announced by an Anti-Islam dutch politician Geert Wilders. Tehreek-e-Labbaik leader Khadim Rizvi has demanded the Imran-led government to expel the Duth ambassador in Pakistan.

However, the Foreign Office spokesman said the government has not decided yet whether to expel the ambassador or not.

“Pakistan has taken strong exception to this sacrilegious caricatures competition. Dutch envoy was summoned at the foreign office and strong protest was lodged with him,” said Faisal.

“An emergency meeting of Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) has been summoned on the matter, where the matter would be discussed comprehensively and strategy would also be chalked out”, he remarked.

The spokesman went on to say Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has written letters to six members of the OIC beside to the UN Secretary General.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in his first speech in the Senate has also announced that his government would take up the issue at the UN.

The spokesman avoided questions on the content of telephone call by US state secretary Pompeo to Prime Minister Khan saying Pakistan wanted to push forward bilateral relations politically.

Moreover, the spokesman said trade barriers between India and Pakistan is a big issue. “Efforts are being made to reduce the gulf between Pakistan India trade ties,” he said.

The spokesman confirmed that Pakistani troops along with Indian troops participated in military exercises in Russia under the flag of SCO.