ISLAMABAD, March 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistan Saturday expressed deep concern over protests in which the Muslim holy book was burned in India, and condemned the use of force to quell demonstrations in Kashmir over the incident.
A foreign office statement said the burning of the Qur'an at "three places in India had caused deep indignation and outrage all over the Islamic world."
The statement added, "The government of Pakistan is seriously concerned at repeated incidents of burning of the holy Qur'an and other acts of sacrilege which continue to take place in India.
"These shocking acts, which are intended to hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslims, have caused deep indignation and outrage all over the Islamic world, including Pakistan."
The statement called on India "to prevent the recurrence of such acts, ensure the sanctity of the holy book and of places of worship and to bring the guilty to justice.
"Pakistan strongly condemns the unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by Indian occupation forces on peaceful rallies in different parts of occupied Kashmir on Friday which resulted in the death and injury of a number of Kashmiri civilians," the foreign ministry statement added.
Right-wing Hindus in New Delhi carried out the burnings in protest against the destruction of ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban regime. Earlier in the week, Qur'ans were burned in Amritsar and in Patiala in the northern state of Punjab.
The BBC reports that police have arrested seven people in Amritsar and have blamed a right-wing Hindu organization, the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti (All India Hindu Protection Committee), for the Qur'an desecrations.
The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti on Friday admitted their responsibility in the Qur'an burnings in Amritsar.
On Friday, Indian police imposed a curfew on several parts of Kashmir after one person was killed in Baramullah when troops opened fire on Muslims protesting against the burnings.
In addition, 15 people were killed last week in the northern city of Kanpur in communal clashes triggered by the New Delhi incident.
