ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday summoned the ambassador of the Netherlands to lodge a strong protest against “blasphemous” messages posted on Twitter by Dutch politician Geert Wilders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, who lodged the protest, informed the ambassador that “such acts cannot be allowed with impunity under the pretext of freedom of expression.” She also conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern and disappointment with the “continued and deliberate malicious attempts of the Dutch parliamentarian to hurt the sentiments of hundreds of millions of Muslims across the world,” and called upon the Dutch government to condemn the controversial tweets and to take action to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The ambassador told Janjua that he will convey the concerns of the government and people of Pakistan to the authorities in the Netherlands, the ministry said.
Earlier this year, Wilders announced a cartoon contest that many Muslims considered blasphemous but canceled it following criticism and protests across the Muslim world. The Dutch government also distanced itself from the politician and his competition, with Prime Minister Mark Rutte reiterating that Wilders, the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, is not a member of the government.
“To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided not to let the cartoon contest go ahead,” Wilders had said in a written statement at the time. He claimed to have received death threats.
Pakistan summons Dutch envoy; protests ‘blasphemous tweets’
Pakistan summons Dutch envoy; protests ‘blasphemous tweets’
- Right-wing politician Geert Wilders posted a series of ‘blasphemous’ comments on his official Twitter account
- Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua called upon the Dutch government to condemn the controversial tweets
