Islamabad, April 19 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that political parties and religious outfits in Pakistan have “misused” Islam and in doing so have inflicted harm on the nation.

Addressing a ceremony in the city, the Prime Minister said that he has started a campaign with heads of other Muslim nations to present the case for ensuring that the Holy Prophet of Islam is honoured on international forums.

Emphasizing that nowhere is the holy Prophet revered as much as in Pakistan he said it pained him to see that the love of the prophet is being misused for political gains.

The Prime Minister’s comments come a week after the country witnessed street violence by the now banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) outfit.

The TLP is protesting against the arrest of their leader Saad Hussain Rizvi and demanding that the Pakistan government should sever all ties with France.

Religious hardliners in Pakistan are angry with France after French president Emmanuel Macron refused to stop publication of cartoons depicting the holy prophet of Islam.

TLP workers took 11 policemen hostage on Sunday after an attack on a police station in Lahore. The officials were released early on Monday after a round of talks with the government.(UNI)