PESHAWAR: People in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday continued to hold rallies and protests against the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.

In Peshawar, Council of World Religions Pakistan, an organisation of the follower of different religions, condemned desecration of Holy Quran and asked the international community and the Swedish government to take immediate action against the involved in the incident.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, chairman of the organisation and former provincial minister Qari Ruhollah Madani, Bishop Bisfari Sarfraz Peter, Prof Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor, Allama Fakhrul Hasan Karrarvi, Haroon Sarab Dayal, Babaji Girpal Singh, Allama Abid Hussain Shakri, Muzaffar Ali Akhunzada, Mufti Jamil Abid, Parvinder Singh, Pandit Sham Lal, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah and Maqsood Ahmad Salafi said that desecration of Quran was intolerable.

They said that international community and the Swedish government should take immediate action against the people involved in the incident. They said that two billion Muslims around the world and followers of all other religions would take to streets against such events. They added that intellectuals of the whole world were shocked by the incident.

The speakers urged international community to legislate for stopping the desecration of Islam and other religions to promote peace and interfaith harmony.

Several other bodies including Iqra Welfare Organisations, women empowerment in science and technology and All Government Class-IV Employees also held demonstrations outside Peshawar Press club and chanted slogans against the Sweden government.

In Swabi, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl held a protest at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk in the district headquarters on Thursday against desecration of Quran in Sweden.

Addressing the protest, JUI-F leader Maulana Fazal Ali said that anti-Islam forces were united to harming the pious religion under a well-planned strategy.

The protesters reached the venue of the rally from different areas of the district and marched through various roads. They were holding placards and banners inscribed with different slogans against Sweden.

During the protest, Swabi-Mardan, Swabi-Jehangira, Swabi-Topi and Swabi-Maneri roads remained blocked and the commuters were forced to wait for the end of the rally.

Jamaat-i-Islami also held a protest in Topi against the incident. The protesters marched from the main bazaar to the general bus stand and chanted slogans against Sweden. They demanded exemplary punishment for the people involved in the crime.

In Mohmand tribal district, a protest rally was organised against the incident that was attended by JUI-F workers, local government representatives and a large number of people. The protesters gathered in Captain Roohullah Shaheed Sports Stadium in Ghalanai and chanted slogans against the Swedish government.

JUI-F district emir Mufti Mohammad Arif Haqqani, former senator Hafiz Rasheed Ahmad, Hafiz Taj Wali, Nazir Andish, Maulana Hanif Zaman, Maulana Samiullah, Maulana Gulab Noor. Maulana Abdul Ghaffar, Arshad Bakhtiar, Mian Ehsanullah, Dr Hayat and others addressed the protesters.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2023