Islamabad - President Dr Arif Alvi said that Islamophobia was on the rise around the world, especially in India where all religious minorities, especially Muslims, were being coerced and intimidated; their homes and places of worship were destroyed, and their religious symbols and personalities were ridiculed and insulted with impunity.
The President made these remarks while talking to the outgoing Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, Mr Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday.
The President observed that Turkiye and Pakistan, along with other Muslim countries, advocated the need to counter Islamophobia on various fora, including the forum of OIC and the UN General Assembly, which finally bore fruit when the United Nations designated 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
The President said that the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Turkiye were anchored in the hearts of the people of the two countries and both the nations enjoyed exemplary cordial ties rooted in shared social, cultural and religious values.
He expressed the hope that these mutually rewarding multi-dimensional relations would go from strength to strength in future as well.
The President expressed Pakistan’s gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support to Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and appreciated Turkiye’s active role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
He said that both the countries held similar views on the issue of Cyprus, the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and the reconstitution of the United Nations.
The President also congratulated the outgoing Ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Islamabad and appreciated his personal contribution in further strengthening Pakistan-Turkiye bilateral relations during his tenure.
Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi has advised students to develop critical and analytical thinking skills to overcome biases inherent in human nature for judicious decision-making.
He said that the youth needed to be trained to sift through the mass of information and discern misinformation and fake news from accurate information for making intelligent and informed judgements.
The President expressed these while talking to the students of Cadet College, Murree, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on Thursday.
Talking to the students, the President advised them to keep the doors of knowledge open throughout their lives and learn from past experiences as well as utilise the knowledge and information made readily available to them by Information Technology.
He also urged the students to draw inspiration from the life and conduct of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as well as learn lessons from the lives of successful persons.
This, he said, would enrich them intellectually and socially besides making them a better and more useful person for the benefit of society and the country.