Pakistan rubbishes fake news about diaspora in France

Misleading info is patently handiwork of India’s anti-Pakistan propaganda machine working overtime, says FO

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan on Sunday denounced the fake news being spread by a section of Indian media about the diaspora in France, misreporting any difficulties being faced by them following the recent developments there.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in a statement, said that they had noticed some fake news with regard to the Pakistani diaspora in France being spread by some sections of Indian media and dummy Twitter accounts.

“The baseless and misleading information is patently a handiwork of Indian anti-Pakistan propaganda machine working overtime. The Pakistani diaspora in France is law-abiding and contributing positively to the French economy,” he said.

The spokesperson said that there were no complaints from them of difficulties in the aftermath of the recent developments.

He said the official Twitter account of the Embassy of Pakistan in Paris was “@PakinFrance” which should be followed for correct information.

The statement comes days after Pakistan condemned the republication of blasphemous caricatures in France and the Islamophobic remarks of French President Emmanuel Macron, with lodging strong protest with French ambassador, followed by the passage of resolutions in both house of the parliament.

Pakistan said that freedom of expression should not be misused as means to attack or hurt public sentiments or religious beliefs and fan inter-religious hatred. At a time of rising racism, intolerance and populism, it added, there was a need for promoting harmony among peoples and communities.

On October 16, French middle school teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in Paris by a man of Chechen origin for showing blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) to his students in the name of “freedom of expression”. After the incident, French President Macron had targeted Islam in his comments.

Since Paty’s killing, French officials – backed by many ordinary citizens – have re-asserted the right to display the cartoons, and the images have been widely displayed at marches in solidarity with the killed teacher.

That has prompted an outpouring of anger in parts of the Muslim world, with some governments accusing the French president of pursuing an anti-Islam agenda.