Bilawal Bhutto telephones OIC Secretary General, discusses incidents of desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday spoke with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General, Hissein Brahim Taha, over the telephone. The call was made against the backdrop of recurring incidents of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and other European countries.

Condemning the despicable acts, which were clear violations of international law, the Foreign Minister briefed the OIC Secretary General about the resolution adopted by the Parliament of Pakistan in a joint sitting on July 6 2023, and observance of ‘Youm-e-Taqaddus Quran’ across Pakistan on 7 July 2023, reflecting the aspirations of the people of Pakistan to safeguard the sanctity of the Holy Quran.

The Foreign Minister appreciated the urgency with which OIC was responding to these reprehensible acts, under the stewardship of the Secretary-General. He commended the OIC for holding an Open-ended Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee on 2 July 2023, in Jeddah, and issuance of comprehensive Communiqué after the meeting.

The Foreign Minister also welcomed the OIC decision for holding Emergency Ministerial Meeting on this issue and briefed the Secretary-General about his telephone calls with the Foreign Ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye in this regard.

The OIC Secretary General commended Pakistan’s efforts to combat and counter Islamophobia and appreciated the leading role played by Pakistan in this regard at the UN.

The Foreign Minister assured the Secretary-General that Pakistan stood ready to actively participate in all OIC initiatives to arrest the reprehensible tide of Islamophobia.