Rallies were held across the country on Friday to protest against desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden as the nation observed “Youm-i-Taqaddus-i-Quran” (Quran Sanctity Day).
Protesters gathered in different cities including Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, and Quetta to urge the international community to take notice of the desecration of the Holy Quran. They demanded the formation of a strategy to stop such incidents in future.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also on the nation to record their protest. Meanwhile, protests have been taking place in the country during the past week, including by political parties, lawyers and the Christian community.
Several rallies were held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district. Political parties, including the PTI, PML-N and the JI, staged protests in Bisham, Karora, Alpuri, Puran and Chakesar.
In a tweet today, PM Shehbaz said, “When it comes to the [matter of] Quran, the [entire] nation is united. The entire Muslim Ummah is disturbed by the incident in Sweden.”
میرے اہل وطن!
بات ہو قرآن کی تو قوم ایک ہے۔
سانحہ سویڈن پر پوری امتِ مسلمہ مضطرب ہے۔
ایک بد بخت کے ہاتھوں قرآن پاک کی بے حرمتی کے دلخراش واقعے پر اپنے جذبات اور احساسات کا اظہار کرنے کے لئے یوم تقدیس قرآن کے عنوان سے آج ہم سب یک آواز ہو کر ملک گیر احتجاج کریں گے اور بعد از…— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 7, 2023
He further said the nation will unite to protest to “express their feelings and emotions over the disheartening incident”, adding that after the Friday afternoon prayers, “all classes of Pakistani Muslims will raise the flag of the Holy Quran’s honour and record their peaceful protest”.
“The Holy Quran is in our hearts. The Holy Quran is not only a recitation for us but a guideline for living,” Shehbaz said