Participants of a protest demonstration in Sargodha hold up placards bearing the picture of ousted Egyptian president Mohammad Mursi. PHOTO: ISRARUL HAQ/EXPRESS
Nearly a month after the ouster of President Mohamed Mursi’s government in a military coup, Pakistan on Friday called for immediate restoration of democracy in Egypt.
As the crisis deepens, the Foreign Office in a statement voiced ‘deep concern’ over the loss of innocent lives in the ongoing violence in Egypt.
Until now Islamabad was reluctant to comment on the developments in Egypt describing them as their internal matter. But on Friday, the foreign ministry broke its silence and urged an immediate release of ousted president Muhammad Mursi.
The statement came amid reports that Mursi is being held over allegations of links with Palestinian militant group Hamas and plotting attacks on jails in the 2011 uprising. He will be questioned for an initial 15-day period.
Mursi has been held at an undisclosed location since his removal by the military on July 3.
“As is well known, Pakistan and Egypt enjoy close and friendly relations based on strong bonds of fraternity, mutual respect and common aspirations of the peoples of the two countries. It is therefore with a sense of deep concern that Pakistan wishes to express its anguish at the loss of innocent lives in the violence which has currently engulfed Egypt,” the Foreign Office said.
“Having itself suffered from repeated extra-constitutional interventions, Pakistan is opposed to military interventions for the resolution of disputes in any country,” it maintained.
“Pakistan therefore urges all sides in Egypt to address the legal and constitutional issues in an inclusive and peaceful manner to enable the country to successfully restore the democratic institutions as early as possible.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2013.
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In foreign policy quid pro quo is the name of the game. In exchange of support for Taliban Pakistan is supporting Qatar supported Islamic brotherhood. There is no love for democracy. Everyone knows that ideology of Islamic Brotherhood is very similar to those of Taliban. Petrodollars at work.
Great to see that people of Egypt were able to stop there country turning into mullahcracy. They stand at critical juncture and have decided to take the country on course as Malaysia or Turkey instead of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.
Alas , Pakistan has always sided with foolish side in foreign policy.
While brother Saudi Arabia and other corporation like tiny Arab countries doled out billions of dollars to their long ally Egyptian military, Pakistan going against it - seems like a good sign of change at the Foreign Affairs level, the change is also visible on Syria. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have their national interests separate of each other.
Read the title! It's the beloved baby of secularism ,"Democracy", that they are standing up for.
The children might not anything but at the end of the day, he was elected democratically and the seculars couldn't stand the fact that there might be Islamic policies and thus they(the seculars) decided to go after what they stood for. Strange.
Why put children in front with pictures of Morsy? They don't even know what or where Egypt is or who this Morsy guy is. It all looks like a very contrived cheap Islamist propaganda.
Knowing Saudi Arabia was behind the overthrow of the Morsy government, I don't think they will take kindly to these pro Brotherhood demonstrations in Pakistan.