ISLAMABAD: Dr Maleeha Lodhi, who is to take over soon as Pakistan’s new permanent representative at the United Nations, called on Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Sunday and exchan ged views with him on key national and international issues.

The JI chief greeted Ms Lodhi on her appointment to the challenging position and expressed good wishes for her success, says a JI press release. He urged the diplomat to raise her voice at the UN against the publication of caricatures of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) by a French magazine that had led to widespread concern and anguish across the Muslim world and strive for putting this evil to an end.

Mr Haq said the world community must be made to realise that such acts of blasphemy could not be tolerated at any cost and the UN must quickly move for a legislation that ensured respect for all religions, the messengers of Allah and the revealed books in the interest of the global peace.

He said Palestine and Kashmir were burning issues of the Muslim world and the Palestinians and Kashmiris had been undergoing the worst form of tyranny and oppression for the past six decades and they deserved immediate attention of the world body.

Dr Lodhi assured the JI chief that she would utilise her capabilities fully to inform the world community of the problems facing Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2015

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