Senate passes resolution to condemn Quran desecration.

ISLAMABAD -- The Senate on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution expressing its deepest shock at the 'vicious and vile' act of desecrating the Holy Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands calling upon the government to summon envoys of both the countries to convey them the anger felt by the people in Pakistan and the Muslims of entire world. Before passage of the resolution, the lawmakers taking part in the debate were unanimous in their views that the entire Islamic world should boycott products of both the European countries as such acts were not justified under the guise of freedom of speech.

The resolution proposed by both treasury and opposition benches in the house and moved by Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed said that the acts of 'racists, bigots and extremists' in both the countries have caused dismay among Muslims and civilized humanity. It says that the upper house strongly protests to governments of Sweden and the Netherlands for allowing these extremists and fanatics to stage the burning of Holy Quran in the name of freedom of expression.

The house through the resolution strongly condemned the acts of Islamophobia being hateful, vicious, and highly explosive and contrary to the principles of international laws laid down in several instruments. It impressed upon both the countries to take firm lawful action against those who were involved in this heinous crime.

The resolution asked the government to coordinate among the Members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take a unified position on this issue which is central to the core beliefs of all Muslims. 'Pakistan should take up this highly important and urgent issue before the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council, which is meeting in Geneva next week.' Earlier, the house suspended the rules through a motion moved by Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar to allow members to hold a debate on the recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran...