The Foreign Ministry of France on Sunday accepted the clarification and apology provided by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, following a tweet it said was ‘insulting’ towards French President Emmanuel Macron. Taking to its official Twitter account, the French Embassy thanked Mazari and wrote that ‘freedom of expression and debates are essential in democracies, based on verified and accurate facts’. France’s foreign ministry had earlier demanded Pakistan authorities withdraw comments made by the human rights minister that President Emmanuel Macron was treating Muslims like Nazis had treated Jews in World War 2. The comments posted on Twitter by Shireen Mazari on Saturday came as part of a clash between Pakistan and France over the publication of blasphemous caricatures by a French magazine. “Macron is doing to Muslims what the Nazis did to the Jews – Muslim children will get ID numbers (other children won’t) just as Jews were forced to wear the yellow star on their clothing for identification,” Mazari said in a tweet linking to an online article. That article now includes a clarification, saying the ID numbers will not just be for Muslim children, as it had previously reported, but for all children. In a follow-up tweet on Sunday, Mazari doubled down on her claims following a condemnation by France’s foreign ministry late on Saturday. “These hateful words are blatant lies, imbued with an ideology of hatred and violence. Such slander is unworthy of this level of responsibility. We reject them with the greatest firmness,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said, adding that Paris had informed the Pakistan embassy of its strong condemnation of the comments. “Pakistan must rectify these remarks and return to the path of a dialogue based on respect.” French President Emmanuel Macron is facing renewed criticism in the Muslim world and abroad over his latest plans to tackle what he alleges radical Islam, including asking Muslim leaders in his country to agree to a ‘charter of republican values’. Politicians and activists likened the new measures proposed by the French government, especially a move towards giving children an ‘identification number’ to ensure they are attending school, with policies employed by the Nazis against the Jews. Pakistan’s parliament at the end of October passed a resolution urging the government to recall its envoy from Paris, accusing Macron of ‘hate-mongering’ against Muslims. The French president sparked protests across the Muslim world after last month’s murder of teacher Samuel Paty – who had shown his class the blasphemous caricature. Macron has also announced to launch a crackdown against what he called ‘Islamist separatism’ to defend France’s secular values.