Islamabad police thwart attempted attack on French embassy

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police have reportedly thwarted an attempt by an armed man to attack the French embassy at the diplomatic enclave in the federal city.

The suspect, according to reports, was carrying an SMG, which he had seized from cops in Sargodha district of Punjab.

He was arrested by police before reaching his target.

The suspect told investigators that his motive was to take revenge from France for alleged blasphemy.

In February this year, the French foreign ministry has summoned Pakistan’s envoy to protest remarks by President Arif Alvi that a French bill cracking down on ‘radical Islam’ stigmatises Muslims.

Addressing a conference on religion on Saturday, Alvi said: “When you see that laws are being changed in favour of a majority to isolate a minority, that is a dangerous precedent.”

Specifically referring to the legislation drafted after the beheading of a French teacher by an Islamist radical over caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Alvi said: “When you insult the Prophet, you insult all Muslims.

“I urge the political leadership of France not to entrench these attitudes into laws … You have to bring people together — not to stamp a religion in a certain manner and create disharmony among the people or create bias.”

Pakistan was one of several Muslim countries that saw angry anti-French protests in October over President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the right to show cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad.

Islamabad does not have an ambassador in France.

The French foreign ministry said it had called in Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to mark “our surprise and our disapproval [over Alvi’s remarks], given that the bill contains no discriminatory element”.

‘Constructive attitude’

“It is guided by the basic principles of freedom of religion and conscience, makes no distinction between the different religions and applies therefore equally to all faiths,” the ministry said.

“Pakistan must understand this and adopt a constructive attitude for our bilateral relations,” it added.