‘Pakistan aware of its responsibilities’

FM condemns Sialkot incident, says culprits will be penalised

MULTAN:

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that Pakistan was well aware of its responsibilities as an important regional stakeholder.

Addressing Zakariya Conference after opening 708th Urs celebrations of saint, Hazrat Shah Rukn-i- Alam, Noori Hazrat Suhrawardy Multani, he urged upon religious scholars and Ulema of all schools of thought to not only condemn the Sialkot incident, but also disassociate themselves from it.

"Some elements keep on trying to defame Pakistan, but they will not succeed in their nefarious designs. Shrines of the saints are always a source of love, forbearance and brotherhood," he noted.

Foreign Minister said that those who were guilty in the gruesome incident would be sentenced accordingly and our judicial system would take them to cleaners.

"Whenever an incident happens in our country, some elements try to bring a bad name to Pakistan by distorting the facts in front of the world. We will have to be vigilant in this regard," Qureshi observed.

He informed the moot that he had represented the country in Brussels recently, adding that neither Islam nor law of the land permitted such acts and all religious scholars had condemned the Sialkot incident.

He stated that he conveyed Prime Minister Imran Khan's message to his Sri Lankan counterpart assuring the culprits would be penalized.