Pakistan condemns Koran burning in US

Islamabad: Pakistan has condemned the 28 April burning of copies of the Quran by US pastor Terry Jones in Florida. “Pakistan strongly condemns the burning of the holy Quran by Pastor Terry Jones, head of the Dove world Qutreach Center in Florida recently,” Xinhua quoted the foreign ministry as saying Wednesday. “We feel that such senseless acts would only inspire hatred and violence in the world,” a statement said. The ministry statement said it was the collective responsibility of all governments and institutions to work closely on promoting harmony, peace and unity among people of all faiths. [caption id=“attachment_296572” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“File photo of protests in Afghanistan after it was alleged that American soldiers has burnt copies of the Koran. Reuters”]  [/caption] Jones burned the Quran to protest the imprisonment in Iran of 32-year-old Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 and was sentenced to death in connection with his conversion. His death sentence was overturned by the Iranian Supreme Court in February. The Pentagon has asked Jones to refrain from burning the Quran out of concern for the safety of NATO forces in Afghanistan. IANS