PM Imran Khan, Russian president hold telephonic conversation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and lauded his “emphatic” statement on blasphemy.

“Just spoke to President Putin primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet PBUH,” the prime minister tweeted.

“He [Putin] is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Prophet PBUH.”

PM Khan said they also discussed ways to move forward on trade and other mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries and invited each other to visit their countries.

Just spoke to President Putin primarily to express my appreciation for his emphatic statement that freedom of speech could not be a pretext to abuse our Prophet PBUH. He is the first Western leader to show empathy & sensitivity to Muslim sentiment for their beloved Prophet PBUH

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 17, 2022

Earlier, the Russian president had said that insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not count as freedom of expression. Such insults are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam,” he maintained.

Read: PM Imran Khan welcomes Putin’s remarks against blasphemy, Islamophobia

Subsequently, Prime Minister Khan welcomed his statement which, he said, reaffirms his message that insulting our Holy Prophet (PBUH) is not ” freedom of expression”.