NEW YORK: In what can be termed as a major embarrassment to Pakistan, as many as 100 nations rejected a Pakistan-backed UN resolution.

Over half the members of the UN did not vote in favor of the resolution — “Promotion of Interreligious & Intercultural Dialogue”.

The vote saw 52 abstentions, and 51 countries not voting for it, which makes 104 members of the UN, out of 193 strength not supporting the resolution.

Several of the countries not voting were from Africa and small island countries while the resolution co-sponsored by Pakistan-Philippines was adopted by 90 countries in favor.

Meanwhile, the abstentions were mainly from the EU and the West over a straitjacketed view of ongoing freedom of expression versus religion debate, the wionews said.

The EU counties saw the resolution focused on “religious symbols”.

India, meanwhile, had its own concern, specifically on the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, with New Delhi highlighting how Islamabad has transferred the administration of the Gurudwara to a non-Sikh body, the wionews added.

Likewise, India also raised the issue over the Indic religions–Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism being discriminated when it comes to persecution against them vis a vis Abrahamic religion, the report said.

(With inputs from wionews.com)