August 31, 2007	Friday	Sha’aban 17, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 30: The Foreign Office on Thursday summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires to lodge a protest over the publication of a caricature of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) by a Swedish newspaper.

“Pakistan condemns, in the strongest terms, the publication of an offensive and blasphemous sketch of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in the Swedish newspaper, Nerikes Allehanda, in the city of Orebro,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said in a statement.

She warned that such acts would ‘deeply undermine’ the efforts of those who seek to promote respect and understanding among religions and civilisations. “The Swedish charge d’affaires explained that Sweden fully shared the views of the Muslim community and termed the publication unfortunate.”—Q.A.