Imran Khan
REUTERS/Athar Hussain

Addressing the Senate for the first time, Pakistan's newly elected Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to take the issue of blasphemous activities to the United Nations. 

"In the name of Freedom of Expression these westerners don't realise how their blasphemous activities hurt the sentiments of Muslims all over the world," the PM said on the announcement made by the leader of Dutch Freedom Party and Parliamentarian Geert Wilders to hold a competition of blasphemous caricatures.

Pakistan's Foreign Office had called Netherlands Chargé d'Affaires to record a protest against the announcement by Wilders to hold a competition of blasphemous caricatures.

"Our government will raise the matter in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and ask the Muslim countries to come up with a collective policy that could then be brought up at international forums," said the former cricketer-turned-politician.

He said this should have been done years ago, referring to how four European countries have jail sentences for "anyone who misquotes the figures of Holocaust. That is because they realise that this is something that hurts the sentiments of the Jewish community".

"We need a similar policy for the blasphemous issue so that our sentiments are not hurt repeatedly by the people," he said.

The Dutch Parliament has received more than 200 entries so far for the competition and the winner of the competition will be awarded $10,000 cash.