ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday that effective method to put a stop to blasphemy could be through collective voice of whole Muslim world and threat of trade boycott. The prime minister also accused external forces of exploiting the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) violent protest by fake news on social media,
“We have reviewed 400,000 tweets, 70% of which came from fake accounts,” said PM Khan while addressing the nation on television and radio and urged the heads of states to collectively carry out an effective campaign against Islamophobia to get the West understood that it hurts 1.25 billion Muslims.
Imran Khan that said a collective strategy by Muslim Ummah will have an effect on the West to prevent the incidents of blasphemy against the Prophet of Islam Sallallaho Alaihe Wa Sallam Khatim-un-Nabiyeen.
“Will expulsion of French ambassador and cutting ties with them will stop this (blasphemy)? Is there any guarantee that no one will do it again?. I guarantee, if Pakistan does it (expels French envoy). I know the west. If Pakistan does it, some other European countries will do it again in name of freedom of expression,” said PM Khan.
Referring to the protest demonstrations by Tahreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, amidst their negotiations with the government, the prime minister said the riots had killed four police personnel, injured another over 800, 40 police vans were gutted besides damage to private properties.
He said though the objective of the government and TLP was to get rid of the blasphemy, the latter’s approach was counter-productive. “When we will expel French ambassador and cut ties, it means we will cut ties with whole of European Union. This means half of our textile exports will come down. This will create unemployment and rupee will be under pressure thus creating inflation and poverty. We will be on losing end, not France,” the prime minister remarked.
The prime minister said contrary to the TLP’s strategy of getting the demands fulfilled through agitation, he viewed that the heads of all Muslim states should make it clear at the forums in European Union and western states as why the Muslims got hurt by the blasphemy.
“West does not understand. They do not even love the prophets the way we do with our Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). Even, they are not attached to religion (the way we are). They will have to be made it understood,” he said.
He made it clear that protest demonstrations would make difference only to Pakistan, not France.
He said currently, Pakistan’s economy was on boom with its large scale industry getting better, creating jobs and wealth and rupee getting strengthened.
Prime Minister said last week a party tried to show as they loved the Holy Prophet more than us, arguing that he also desired that there should be no blasphemy of Holy Prophet (PBUH) but the difference was about the method.
He said that since last two and half months, the government was in negotiations with TLP trying to make them understand that their strategy would make Pakistan suffer.
He said the government had also decided to present their demands in Assembly but simultaneously, the party announced to hold sit-in in Islamabad linking it with the expulsion of French envoy which disrupted the talks and led to the arrest of the arrests.
He questioned whether any Muslim head of state spoke about the blasphemous book of Salman Rushdie. The sitting government at that time or any political leader in Pakistan, including Nawaz Sharif also did not talk about the book, he asserted.
He said that Pakistan was the only state created in name of Islam and he had found all of its citizens with deep reverence for Holy Prophet (PBUH), even if they are not firm practicing Muslim.
He said that the Muslims not only in Pakistan rather in the entire Muslim world felt pained consequent to blasphemy in any part of the world.
He said after publication of Salman Rushdie’s book, the incidents of blasphemy had been taking place in western countries after every few years triggering protests in the Muslim world. “Did this approach bring any difference? TLP is also doing the same (now),” he said.
Imran Khan said after the violent incidents, the enemies of Pakistan intervened in the matter. The government analyzed 0.4 million tweets and 70 percent of them were made from fake accounts.
Propaganda was unleashed by India as was made evident by EU DisinfoLab which revealed that 600 Indian websites were involved in fake propaganda particularly against Pakistan.
The prime minister said 380 groups from India were running fake news in the WhatsApp groups about the latest situation in Pakistan.
It was unfortunate that the opposition political party Jamiat Ulema Islam (F) got involved in this issue to destabilize the government and damage the country, he told.
Imran Khan asserted that France will not be affected if Pakistan would send its ambassador back.
Prime Minister said he knew the West as he had spent his life there, adding that in the 14th OIC summit in June 2019, he talked about Islamophobia and incidents of disrespect of the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
He narrated that he also raised the issue at the United Nations General Assembly twice and told the world leaders as to how sentiments of more than one billion Muslims were hurt because of blasphemy.
The government also raised the issue of Islamophobia at the UN human rights commission and other human rights bodies, noted the Prime Minister.
He said he wrote a letter to the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg conveying to him that his social media platform should not be used for Islamophobia.
“I also wrote a letter to all heads of Islamic states and urged them to take joint action on the issue”, said PM Khan.
Imran Khan said the world needed to be made aware that sentiments of Muslims were hurt when in the name of freedom; blasphemy was done against our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
PM Khan said that Jews were less in number but they made it clear on the western world that no negative comments should be made against the holocaust in which Jews were massacred.
The western media could not talk against holocaust and in four European countries people could be put in jail for talking against holocaust, he explained.
“We have to work collectively and make the world realise about the sentiments of Muslims.”
He said whenever Pakistanis would protest, west would think it was against freedom of expression and then people there knowingly would do something to hurt the feelings of Muslims.
The way Tehreek Labaik Pakistan (TLP) was acting it would only damage Pakistan, he said adding that he would take responsibility on the issue and the day will not be far off when the west will realise the sentiments of Muslims.
“I will lead the campaign and will not disappoint the nation and the Muslims and the west will one day realize that what it is doing is wrong.” He asked the Ulema to support the government as the violence was damaging the country.
The enemy took benefit of the chaos in the country and the nation suffered, he continued.
Prime Minister said it was suicidal to damage the country when the incident of blasphemy took place in another country.
PM Khan said, “We came out of a difficult time of two years, and now our economy is rising. Our direction is right so it is not the right time to cause damage to our country.” He concluded his address to the nation by saying that Pakistan was facing the third wave of coronavirus and the nation should follow the guidelines to tackle the disease.