Pak asks Interpol to stop 'insane' pastor from burning Quran

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grave concern over the pastor's threat and believed that anyone "who even thought of such a despicable act must be suffering from a diseased mind and a sickly soul," according to his spokesman Farhatullah Babar.
Such an act will "inflame sentiments among Muslims throughout the world and cause irreparable damage to interfaith harmony and world peace," Babar said.

The President has called for "doing all that it takes to stop such a senseless and outrageous act," he said.Separately, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, in a letter addressed to Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, said Interpol should stop "insane" pastor Terry Jones from burning the Quran.

Malik drew Interpol's attention to the "very serious and grave" issue, which is a crime against humanity and an "international offence" as it could affect global peace and harmony.

"Interpol must play its role to stop this heinous criminal act by insane Terry Jones as it will bring irreversible damage to world peace, especially when the world is fighting against all kind of acts of terrorism," he said.

Malik asked Noble to take up the issue with US authorities to stop the "crazy so-called priest from this highly criminal act.""Muslim Ummah would be outraged by such an act and the feelings of Muslims should be respected," he said.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said Pakistan denounces the planned "shameful burning of 200 copies of the Holy Quran by a small Florida church on September 11."
"The government and the people of Pakistan, including Christians, are outraged at this planned act by a self- proclaimed pastor. This is against the spirit of any religion and is, therefore, being rightly denounced by the entire international community," he told a weekly news briefing.

Pakistan urges "adherents of all religions and faiths to strongly condemn this fanatic approach and oppose those, who in the name of freedom and liberty, are resorting to bigotry and undermining the work that has been done towards promoting interfaith harmony since 9/11," he said.

Basit said the Pakistan government is in touch with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to formulate a joint response and strategy in this regard.

Pakistan's Religious Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Kazmi also strongly condemned the regrettable plan of the pastor and said it could cause great chaos and turmoil in the world.

Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and brotherhood and it discourages tendencies of extremism and terrorism, he said.