KARACHI / QUETTA: Foreign Mi­­­nister Bilawal Bhutto-Zar­dari on Saturday shared his concerns over repeated incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran with his Turkish counterpart.

In a discussion with Tur­­kiye Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Mr Bhutto-Zardari also commended Ankara’s role in achieving the landmark Black Sea Grain deal.

In a tweet on Saturday, the Pakistani FM said: “Spoke to my brother FM of Turkey Hakan Fidan today. Commended Tur­key’s role in achieving the landmark Black Sea Grain Corridor agreement in 2022 which has played a significant role in stabilising global food prices, especially in dev­eloping countries and for the poorest of the poor.”

“Also exp­ressed strongest condemnation of acts of desecration of the Holy Quran in several Euro­pean cities and resolved to work with Turkey and other Islamic states to prevent such incidents,” he added.

Resolution adopted

Separately, the Baloch­istan Asse­mbly adopted a resolution on Saturday to condemn the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden last month and demanded that the person responsible for the sacrilegious act be punished.

The resolution was joi­ntly moved by Bushra Rind and Op­­position Leader Malik Si­­kander Khan.

The resolution strongly condemned the burning of Holy Quran pages by an Iraqi refugee outside a mosque in Stockholm during Eidul Azha.

The lawmakers said the act had hurt the religious sentiments of over a billion Muslims worldwide.

The resolution said that the Holy Quran teaches love, a philosophy of patience and respect for each ot­­her. It also deman­ded that the Pakistani government should contact international organisations for legislation to declare such incidents as heinous crimes.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2023