UAE condemns burning of churches and dozens of homes in Pakistan

ABU DHABI, 19th August, 2023 (WAM) — The UAE has strongly condemned the burning of a number of churches and dozens of homes by extremists in Pakistan, and denounced the coinciding violence that has taken place.In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) commended the efforts and diligence of the Pakistani government and the measures it implemented in confronting these criminal acts.The Ministry affirmed the UAE’s permanent rejection of all practices aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of human and moral values and principles, stressing that hate speech and extremism contradict international efforts to spread the values of tolerance, coexistence and peace among peoples.Furthermore, the Ministry stressed the need to respect religious symbols and avoid incitement and polarisation at a time when the international community needs to work together to reaffirm a commitment to upholding the universal principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, which should be promoted and implemented to achieve stability and sustainable development.