Pakistan says Koran burning fanatical, threat to religious harmony

Pakistan today again condemned the desecration of the Koran by two pastors in the US, saying that such a "fanatical" act was a serious threat to religious harmony

Pakistan's ambassador to the US and its permanent representative to the UN have written strong demarches to the US government and the United Nations in which they highlighted the views of Muslims on the issue, foreign office spokesperson Tehmina Janjua told a weekly news briefing.

The country's ambassador in Geneva had taken up the issue at the Human Rights Council and condemned the act on behalf of Organisation of the Islamic Conference and Pakistan.

Such an act is "totally unacceptable" as it represents a threat to peace and security and could disturb inter-religious harmony, Janjua said.

Pakistan's top leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, have condemned the desecration of the Koran.

Zardari said the act marked "a serious setback to efforts at promoting harmony among civilised communities throughout the world".

In response to a question, Janjua said Pakistan has great concerns over regional stability in North Africa and West Asia.

Pakistan supports the reconciliation and dialogue process initiated by the government in Bahrain as it wants peace and security in the region, she said.

Explaining Pakistan's position on Bahrain, Janjua said the government of Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council had decided to invite foreign security forces to maintain peace and security.

It was an "internal decision of the GCC" and the security of Pakistanis living in Bahrain was being discussed with the government of that country, she said.

There are 65,000 Pakistanis living in Bahrain and working in different fields. There have been several reports of attacks on Pakistanis by protestors in Bahrain.

Answering another question, Janjua said Pakistan has never tried to block negotiations on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

Pakistan intends to get an assurance on the security of non-nuclear states, she said.

"In fact, some other countries have been engaged in blocking these negotiations since decades," she contended.

Responding to questions on the situation in Afghanistan, Janjua said, "Pakistan strongly supports the process of transfer of responsibility, including security, to the Afghan government... Pakistan's diplomacy is centered on promoting stability and peace in its immediate neighbours and we hope that the people and government of Afghanistan will take on the responsibility to ensure security in their country".