Swedish Embassy In Islamabad Shuts Down Indefinitely Citing ‘Security Threats’

Swedish Embassy In Islamabad Shuts Down Indefinitely Citing ‘Security Threats’
Sweden has closed its embassy in Islamabad indefinitely, citing the security situation as the cause.

The Swedish Embassy in Islamabad is not currently accepting guests due to the city's security situation, according to a notice posted on the building. "There are currently no requests of any kind that the Migration Section can respond to. Additionally, Gerry's, your home address, or any of our consulates cannot receive any documentation from us. We are aware that this will be inconvenient, but our top priority is the safety of our applicants and staff," the notice read.

The notice went on to say that any inquiries about the reopening cannot be accommodated at this time.

https://twitter.com/PakinSweden/status/1645759009134198787?s=20

The Pakistani embassy in Sweden tweeted in response to the announcement, saying, "Many Pakistani students are applying to Swedish universities this year and asking us about their status. We anticipate them applying for a visa soon. Our long-standing relationship is based on education, and students connect the two nations."

It is pertinent to mention here that the Danish-Swedish far-right extremist, known for inciting anti-Muslim hatred, burned a copy of the holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on January 21. The Swedish embassy has not yet commented on the nature of the threat, but it is obvious that this is a possible reason.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had condemned the desecration of the holy book by a far-right Danish politician and stressed the need of fighting Islamophobia.

Notorious anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan first burnt a copy of the holy book near a mosque in the Danish capital and then a second copy outside the Turkish embassy a day earlier.

In a tweet, the prime minister expressed his displeasure over the third incident of the desecration of the holy book in the last week.

He wrote: “The highly offensive desecration of the Holy Quran by a Danish politician is the third such incident in a row that should be strongly condemned by the civilized world.”

The premier also urged the international community to join hands and fight Islamophobia.

The Foreign Office had also strongly condemned the senseless and deeply offensive act of desecration of the holy book in Denmark, by the same Islamophobia who committed a similar act in Sweden a few days ago.