ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the “deliberate desecration” of the Quran by a US evangelical preacher in a church in Florida, calling it a setback for global efforts to promote harmony.

“We condemn this act in the strongest possible words,” President Asif Ali Zardari said during a televised address to the federal parliament.

The burning was carried out by pastor Wayne Sapp under the supervision of Terry Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to ignite a pile of the Islamic holy books to mark the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Jones was widely pilloried for his threats to carry out the Quran burning, including by US President Barack Obama.

“It is a serious set back to the efforts at promoting harmony among civilised communities throughout the world,” Zardari said asking the parliament to pass a resolution and urge the United Nations to address the issue.

Pakistani foreign ministry also condemned the desecration of the Quran as “despicable act.” “There could be no justification for such acts,” the ministry said.

“This has deeply hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and Muslims all over the world.”

WASHINGTON: Pakistan on Wednesday praised US President Barack Obama for saying he would visit the country next year, calling it a sign of commitment between the troubled war partners.
Obama, meeting with a senior Pakistani delegation, said he would not visit when he travels to neighboring India next month. But he committed to visiting Pakistan in 2011 and invited Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to Washington.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking afterward at the Brookings Institution think-tank, called his meeting with Obama “very satisfying.”
“The fact that he has agreed to visit Pakistan next year, the fact that he has decided to invite the president of Pakistan to the United States of America, that is the level of engagement that is taking place,” Qureshi said.
The United States has played a delicate balancing act, seeking to show Pakistan it seeks a relationship beyond cooperation on Afghanistan while also trying to broaden its ties with India, the world’s largest democracy.
But Qureshi acknowledged “obviously there are concerns” that remain between Pakistan and the United States.
In a recent report to Congress, the White House said bluntly that, though it had made sacrifices in the US anti-terror campaign, Pakistan could do more to crack down on extremist safe-havens in lawless tribal areas.
Pakistan this month temporarily shut down its main land crossing for war supplies into Afghanistan, outraged after a Nato helicopter killed Pakistani troops along the border.
“Fighting terrorism remains a strategic and moral imperative for us,” Qureshi said, insisting that “our nation has suffered the most” from extremism and was committed to international cooperation.”
But Qureshi warned: “Actions are required that reinforce and not undercut such counter-terrorism cooperation.”