Islamabad: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday took notice of rising instances of hate crimes against Muslims globally following the Nov 13 Paris attacks, Radio Pakistan reported.
FO Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, which is a religion of peace and brotherhood.
At least 129 people were killed in Paris in attacks claimed by the militant group Islamic State (IS). A wave of coordinated attacks hit at least six places in the French capital on Nov 13. The attackers had targeted the Bataclan concert hall, a sports stadium and restaurants.
Following the attacks, incidence of Islamophobic hate crime has spiked. In the United Kingdom, a 300 per cent increase in hate crime targeting Muslims was registered in the week following the attacks.
Following the Paris attacks, France stepped up its air campaign against IS in Iraq as well as Syria, where Russia is also targeting the militant group in air strikes while backing a campaign for President Assad.
Commenting on the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces, the FO spokesman said tensions between Ankara and Moscow should be defused through peaceful dialogue.
A Russian military jet was shot down by Turkish F-16s a couple of days ago after it crossed into Turkish airspace. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had believed the plane was in Syrian territory throughout the flight. Following the incident, tensions between the two soared, but the Russian Foreign Minister said the countries would not go to war over the incident.
The FO also commented on Pakistan’s relationship with other countries in the region, including Afghanistan and India.
When questioned about Pak-Afghan relations, the spokesman said Pakistan encourages contacts between the two countries at all levels.
He also said Pakistan is ready to discuss all outstanding issues with India, including Kashmir, without any pre-conditions.
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