Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced that Pakistan would spearhead the International Convention on Preventing the defamation of Religions.
The prime minister was addressing a two-day International Rahmatul-lil-Alameen (Peace Be Upon Him) Conference at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad on Tuesday.
“I have decided to make Ahmed Bilal Soofi who is well versed in international law my special envoy. He will be responsible for having this convention signed by different countries,” Prime Minister Khan said.
He added that the convention would prevent people using freedom of speech as a cover for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims around the world. “Pakistan will spearhead the signing of this convention and make using freedom of speech to commit blasphemy a crime.”
The prime minister spoke of how every few years some western countries would insult Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) which would lead to Muslims getting angry and protesting. According to the prime minister, this would only strengthen the enemies of Islam in the west and give them an opportunity for propaganda.
Prime Minister Khan highlighted how his government had been successful in raising the issue of blasphemy and defamation on international forums.
“Recently there was a blasphemy caricature issue in Holland. We spoke to the foreign minister and ambassador and for the first time, they took action against the blasphemous caricatures. We also raised this issue in the OIC and said all Muslim countries should tell the West about the love we have for Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). This issue was also raised in the United Nations for the first time by our foreign minister.”
The prime minister in his address emphasised the importance of learning about Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) life and teachings in order to become better human beings.
“The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) came as a mercy to the world. Prophet’s (Peace Be Upon Him) achievements are incomparable,” the premier noted.
Recalling his younger days, PM Imran told the audience that once his belief in God strengthened and his understanding of Islam deepened, he realised the purpose of life was to serve humanity and live for others, rather than focusing on oneself.
“It is our country’s misfortune that despite having been created in the name of Islam, some [elements] have [hijacked] the religion of mercy. They claim to be the safe-keepers of our religion, but their acts hurt us, hurt our children,” the premier said.
