ISLAMABAD, Apr 19 (APP): Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday said the collective voice of whole Muslim world and threat for trade boycott could put a stop to blasphemy as protest demonstrations would damage nothing but Pakistan’s booming economy.
“Will expulsion of French ambassador and cutting ties with them will stop this (blasphemy)?. Is there any guarantee that no one will do it again?. I guarantee, if Pakistan does it (expels French envoy). I know the west. If Pakistan does it, some other Europen country will do it again in name of freedom of expression,” the prime minister said in his televised address to the nation.
Referring to the protest demonstrations by Tahreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, amidst their negotiations with the government, the prime minister said the riots had killed four police personnel, injured another over 800, 40 police vans were gutted besides damage to private properties.
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He said though the objective of the government and TLP was to get rid of the blasphemy, the latter’s approach was counter-productive.
“When we will expel French ambassador and cut ties, it means we will cut ties with whole of European Union. This means half of our textile exports will come down. This will create unemployment and rupee will be under pressure thus creating inflation and poverty. We will be on losing end, not France,” the prime minister remarked.
The prime minister said contrary to the TLP’s strategy of getting the demands fulfilled through agitation, he viewed that the heads of all Muslim states should make it clear at the forums in European Union and western states as why the Muslims got hurt by the blasphemy.
“West does not understand. They do not even love the prophets the way we do with our Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). Even, they are not attached to religion (the way we are). They will have to be made it understood,” he said.
He made it clear that protest demonstrations would make difference only to Pakistan, not France.
He said currently, Pakistan’s economy was on boom with its large scale industry getting better, creating jobs and wealth and rupee getting strengthened.
He said last week, a party tried to show as they loved the Holy Prophet more than they did.
He said he also desired that there should be no blasphemy of Holy Prophet (PBUH) but the difference was about the method.
The prime minister told the countrymen that since last two and half months, the government was in negotiations with TLP trying to make them understand that their strategy would make Pakistan suffer.
He said the government had also decided to present their demands in Assembly but simultaneously, the party announced to hold sit-in in Islamabad linking it with the expulsion of French envoy which disrupted the talks and led to the arrest of the arrests.
He questioned whether any Muslim head of state spoke about the blasphemous book of Salman Rushdie. The sitting government at that time or any political leader in Pakistan, including Nawaz Sharif also did not talk about the book, he added.
He said Pakistan was the only state created in name of Islam and he had found all of its citizens with deep reverence for Holy Prophet (PBUH), even if they are not firm practicing Muslim.
He the Muslims not only in Pakistan rather the whole Muslim world felt pained consequent to blasphemy in any part of the world.
He said after publication of Salman Rushdie’s book, the incidents of blasphemy had been taking place in western countries after every few years triggering protests in the Muslim world. .
“Did this approach bring any difference? TLP is also doing the same (now),” he said.
Imran Khan said after the violent incidents, the enemies of Pakistan intervened in the matter. The government analyzed 0.4 million tweets and 70 percent of them were made from fake accounts.
Propaganda was unleashed by India as was made evident by EU DisinfoLab which revealed that 600 Indian websites were involved in fake propaganda particularly against Pakistan.
The prime minister said 380 groups from India were running fake news in the WhatsApp groups about the latest situation in Pakistan.
It was unfortunate that the opposition political party Jamiat Ulema Islam (F) got involved in this issue to destabilize the government and damage the country, he told.
He said France will not be affected if Pakistan would send its ambassador back.
He said he knew west as he spent his life there, adding
in the 14th OIC summit in June 2019, he talked about Islamophobia and incidents of disrespect of the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He narrated that he also raised the issue at the United Nations General Assembly twice and told the world leaders as to how sentiments of more than one billion Muslims were hurt because of blasphemy.
http://https://youtu.be/o63ofKb2XgU
The government also raised the issue of Islamophobia at the UN human rights commission and other human rights bodies, he noted.
He said he wrote a letter to the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg conveying to him that his social media platform should not be used for Islamophobia.
“I also wrote a letter to all heads of Islamic states and urged them to take joint action on the issue.”
The PM said the world needed to be made aware that sentiments of Muslims were hurt when in the name of freedom, blasphemy was done against our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
The prime minister stated that Jews were less in number but they made it clear on the western world that no negative comments should be made against the holocaust in which Jews were massacred.
The western media could not talk against holocaust and in four European countries people could be put in jail for talking against holocaust, he explained.
“We have to work collectively and make the world realize about the sentiments of Muslims.”
He said whenever Pakistanis would protest, west would think it was against freedom of expression and then people there knowingly would do something to hurt the feelings of Muslims.
The way Tehreek Labaik Pakistan (TLP) was acting it would only damage Pakistan, he said adding he would take responsibility on the issue and the day will not be far off when the west will realize the sentiments of Muslims.
“I will lead the campaign and will not disappoint the nation and the Muslims and the west will one day realize that what it is doing is wrong.”
He asked the ulema to support the government as the violence was damaging the country.
The enemy took benefit of the chaos in the country and the nation suffered, he continued.
The prime minister said it was suicidal to damage the country when the incident of blasphemy took place in another country.
Imran said, “We came out of a difficult time of two years, and now our economy is rising. Our direction is right so it is not the right time to cause damage to our country.”
Pakistan was facing the third wave of coronavirus and the nation should follow the guidelines to tackle the disease, he concluded.
