Pak wants to recall envoy in France, but there isn't one
By Team Newsable | First Published Oct 27, 2020, 7:58 PM ISTOn Monday evening, Pakistan's National Assembly asked the Imran Khan government through a unanimous resolution that the country's envoy in France be recalled as a mark of protest against "blasphemy by French president". The catch is, there isn't a Pakistani envoy in France since 3 months.
In what is now global embarrassment of epic proportions for Pakistan, the country has been caught on the wrong foot with regard to the controversy surrounding "Islamophobic acts of republication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in France".
On Monday evening, Pakistan's National Assembly asked the Imran Khan government through a unanimous resolution that the country's envoy in France be recalled as a mark of protest against "blasphemy by French president".
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But here's why Pakistan is the butt on jokes on social media at the moment -- Pakistan has no ambassador posted in Paris as its ambassador Moin-ul-Haq left France three months ago when he was transferred and posted as ambassador to China.
Even Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was among those who backed the resolution in the National Assembly, seemed to be unaware that Pakistan embassy in France is without an ambassador.
A report published in Pakistan daily 'The News' said that Muhammad Amjad Aziz Qazi -- deputy head of mission in the Paris embassy -- was looking after the affairs of the mission being the senior-most diplomat in Paris.
France issues warning
France has warned its citizens living or travelling in several Muslim-majority countries to take extra security precautions as anger surged over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
French foreign ministry on Tuesday issued safety advice to French citizens in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iraq and Mauritania, advising them to exercise caution. They should stay away from any protests over the cartoons and avoid any public gatherings.
The images of the Prophet were first published years ago by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, whose editorial offices were attacked in 2015 by gunmen who killed 12 people. Since the beheading of the teacher Samuel Paty this month, the cartoons have been displayed in France in solidarity, angering some Muslims.
President Emmanuel Macron, who met representatives of France's Muslim community on Monday, has pledged to fight 'Islamist separatism', saying it was threatening to take over some Muslim communities in France.
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