Pakistan summons US diplomat to lodge protest on anti-Islam film

Pakistan on Friday summoned the acting American envoy to lodge a "strong protest" against an anti-Islam film and demanded that the US government take immediate steps to remove the "blasphemous" video from YouTube. "The US Charge D'Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland was summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a strong protest was lodged," said foreign office in a statement. He was told the film was an attack on 1.5 billion Muslims and a premeditated and a malicious act to spread hatred and violence among people of different faiths. The US Government should immediately take measures to remove the sacrilegious video from YouTube and take action against its creator, the statement noted. The US diplomat was reminded, in the statement that all faiths need to promote inter-religious harmony and tolerance; the intentional spread of hatred among faiths is an attack on humanity itself. Ambassador Hoagland reiterated his Government's position that strongly condemns the video. He stressed that the video was disgusting and was an act of one aberrant individual. He further stated that the vast majority of American people have also condemned it.