Govt And TLP Have The Same Objective, Says PM In Address To Nation
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while addressing the nation, said that his government and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have the same objective but their ‘methods’ are different. “Pakistan is the only country in the world that was created in the name of Islam,” he said, adding that the people of the country loved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with all their heart.
He questioned whether there is a guarantee that expelling French ambassador from Pakistan will bring an end to blasphemy against the Prophet (PBUH). “I know the West. If we expel the French ambassador, they will paint this as a freedom of expression issue.” The PM said that this step will only harm Pakistan.
“We have been negotiating with the TLP for the past three months. We had made the decision to present the matter [of expelling the French ambassador] in the parliament,” the PM said. He added that the TLP
Speaking about loss of lives and unrest due to the protests, the PM said: “40 police cars were set on fire, private properties were damaged. 8 policemen were martyred and more than 800 were injured. 100 roads were blocked on the first day of protests due to which oxygen could not reach hospitals and led to deaths of coronavirus patients.”
Imran Khan said that Indian propaganda groups were spreading disinformation about the protests by claiming that a civil war has started in Pakistan. He also criticised the PML-N and JUI-F, alleging that they have joined hands with the TLP to destabilise the country.
The prime minister said that he wrote letters to heads of the state to work together to present our case against Islamophobia before the world. Imran Khan emphasised the need to boycott French products collectively as protest against blasphemous cartoons in France.
“I won’t disappoint you. I will make sure the world realises the Muslim countries’ position on respect for the Prophet (PBUH),” he said.
Before we teach lesson to rest of the world, why don’t we, as a nation, learn a vital lesson to be tolerant to criticism? Our PM believes that a threat of trade boycott will teach France a lesson. Are we really that simple to believe so? France exports are more than $500 billion across the Globe. Entire Muslim world receive about $5 billion products from France whereas Pakistan holds a negligible share, which is less than $0.5 billion. One can easily imagine how big will be the impact of our trade boycott. May be less than a mosquito bite for an elephant.