IMRAN KHAN RAISES ISSUES OF ‘ISLAMOPHOBIA, NEO-NAZISM’ AT SCO

Tue 10 November 2020:

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on Tuesday addressed the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) conference 2020 via video link.

PM Imran Khan was invited to attend the SCO-CHS by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who chaired the online meeting. Leaders from all eight SCO member states and four observer states were in attendance, together with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Secretary-General of SCO Rashid Alimov.

“We must oppose all extremist and xenophobic ideologies, including racist ideologies inspired by neo-Nazism and Islamophobia, and call for focusing on building interfaith and cross-cultural bridges,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in his address to the 20th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council.

The online summit was presided by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Willful provocations and incitement to hate, especially on religious grounds, should be universally outlawed,” Khan said, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent anti-Islam remarks and the republication of offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad in the country.

“We must continue to call for mutual respect of all religions and beliefs, and for fostering a culture of fraternity and peace, including in our own region and beyond.”

The premier had earlier decided to internationally raise the issue of controversial caricatures in France that have angered Muslims across the world. In a letter shared on Twitter last month, he had urged leaders of the Islamic world to “take the initiative to call for an end to this cycle of hate and violence”.

Pakistan has been an active member of the SCO-CHS since 2017. Other member countries include China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

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