THE HAGUE — The Netherlands said on Tuesday that its ambassador to Pakistan has faced “threats”, reportedly from hardliners angry over anti-Islam tweets by the far-right politician Geert Wilders.
Wilders in August called off a planned blasphemous cartoon competition that stirred anger in Pakistan, but the MP has since posted several objectionable images on Twitter.
“We are dealing with threats to the ambassador’s address,” a Dutch foreign ministry spokesman said.
“We take the security of the embassy very seriously, and that is also the subject of consultations between the Netherlands and Pakistan. For security reasons, I cannot make any further comment.”
Pakistan’s interior ministry last month wrote a secret memo on plans to “target” the Dutch ambassador by the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party (TLP), media from both countries reported.
“It has been reported that elements associated with Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) are planning to target (the) Dutch ambassador... to seek revenge for uploading of blasphemous caricatures by Geert Wilders, Dutch parliamentarian, on his personal Twitter account,” the memo said.
The Pakistani interior ministry and Dutch embassy declined to comment.
The TLP denied making any threats.
“Attacking somebody is not a policy of Tehreek-e-Labaik. We are a peaceful movement,” TLP spokesman Pir Ijaz Ashrafi said.
However, he said the group “demand the Dutch government expel Wilders from their parliament and if they don’t do so, the government of Pakistan should dismiss the Dutch ambassador from Pakistan.”
Separately, a body representing 144 Turkish mosques in the Netherlands has asked Twitter to block Wilders’ account for inciting hatred, it emerged on Monday.
The Turkish Islamic Cultural Federation (TICF) sent the letter on Friday seeking “a permanent ban of the Twitter of Mr. Geert wilders... due to continuous publications on his Twitter account of messages, images and other content which is a display of hateful conduct.”
It said wilders’ tweets breached Twitter’s guidelines, adding: “His hate messages are being spread worldwide thanks to the platform and abilities Twitter provides him”.
“We reserve the right to take any legal actions and measures necessary if you will not take action as requested within 21 days after this,” it said.
TICF’s lawyer Ejder Kose said on Monday they would take legal action if nothing was done.
“Going to court is the last thing we want to do but if we have to, we’ll do it,” Kose said.
Kose said many of wilders’ tweets breached laws in several countries including Tunisia, Morocco, Pakistan and Indonesia. — AFP
