ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Office on Saturday summoned the Ambassador of Norway in Islamabad Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen to convey the deep concern of the government and people of Pakistan over the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand.
In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Pakistan’s condemnation of desecration of the Holy Quran was reiterated.
It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression.
The Norwegian authorities were urged to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future.
The Foreign Ministry said that the Ambassador of Pakistan in Oslo has also been instructed to convey Pakistan’s protest and deep concern to the Norwegian authorities.
اسلام آباد:ناروے کے سفیر کی دفتر خارجہ طلبی:ترجمان دفتر خارجہ pic.twitter.com/4DXyNYAfn2
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) November 23, 2019
Earlier in a tweet, Norway’s Ambassador Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen wrote “The Norwegian government strongly disapproves of the Quran burning in the right-wing demonstration in Kristiansand. The police stopped the demonstration for security reasons. In Norway everyone has the right to free speech and to practice their religion without being harassed”.