Imran Khan turns to recommend books as Pak bears brunt of human rights violations

Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended Elif Shafak's 'The Forty Rules of Love' for the youth of Pakistan in an attempt to 'bring them to close' to Islam. The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed its concern over the increasing instances of threats of violence against journalists and human rights activists in Pakistan.

Islamabad: As Pakistan bears the brunt of human rights violations in the country against journalists, in Balochistan and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, Prime Minister Imran Khan has now turned to recommend books to the youth of the nation.

According to The News, for October, Khan recommended Elif Shafak's 'The Forty Rules of Love' for the youth of Pakistan in an attempt to 'bring them to close' to Islam.

"This October I suggest our youth to read 'The Forty Rules of Love' by Elif Shafak. An inspirational book about divine love, Sufism, Rumi & his Murshid Shams Tabriz. I read it a few years back and was deeply inspired," Khan captioned his post where he shared the photograph of the book on Instagram.

In May, in the wake of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Khan recommended that the youth read the famous book 'Lost Islamic History'.

"A great read for our youth during lockdown days. An excellent brief history of the driving force that made Islamic civilisation the greatest of its time and then the factors behind its decline," he tweeted.

The United Nations Human Rights Office on Tuesday expressed its concern over the increasing instances of threats of violence against journalists and human rights activists in Pakistan.

"We have followed with increasing concern numerous instances of incitement to violence - online and offline - against journalists and human rights defenders in Pakistan, in particular against women and minorities. Especially worrying are accusations of blasphemy - which can put accused individuals at imminent risk of violence," said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville in a briefing.

About the GB region, Pakistan is also planning to hold elections to the so-called Gilgit Baltistan legislative assembly on November 15.

India had said that any action by Islamabad to alter the status of the military occupied so-called 'Gilgit-Baltistan' has no legal basis whatsoever and is ab-initio.

(With inputs from ANI)