PARIS: The French foreign ministry has summoned Pakistan's envoy to protest claims 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."
The French foreign ministry said late Monday 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."
"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.
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