Foreign Desk Report
PARIS: The Foreign Ministry of France on Sunday accepted the clarification and apology provided by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, following a tweet it said was “insulting” towards French President Emmanuel Macron.
Taking to its official Twitter account, the French Embassy thanked Mazari and wrote that “freedom of expression and debates are essential in democracies, based on verified and accurate facts.”
The Ministry had earlier asked Pakistan to rectify a comment made by Mazari in which she likened French President Emmanuel Macron to Nazis from the Second World War.
In a statement issued by the French Embassy in Pakistan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said that on November 21, a member of the Pakistani Cabinet “expressed views through social media, in terms that are deeply shocking and insulting for the President of the Republic and for our country.”
“These despicable words are blatant lies, loaded with an ideology of hatred and violence. Such slanderous comments are disgraceful at
such level of responsibility. We reject them strongly,” the statement continued.”We have immediately informed the Chargé d ‘affaires of Pakistan in Paris of our condemnation in the strongest terms. Pakistan must rectify this statement and return to the path of dialogue based on respect.” “The Envoy to Pak sent me the message and the article has been corrected by the relevant publication, I have also deleted my tweet,” she tweeted.
