الرئيسية
By ASIF SHAHZAD, AP
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani actress who posed in the nude
for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan's feared and
powerful intelligence agency on her arm has triggered fury across this
conservative nation.
Veena Malik's photo on the website of FHM
India, in advance of its publication in the magazine's December issue,
has been lighting up social network websites since earlier this week.
Many
here anticipate a backlash, as nationalists and Islamists regularly
stage rallies against anything they deem an insult to Islam or to the
national honor. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and the
Inter-Services Intelligence agency or ISI has been accused of sponsoring
terrorist attacks inside India.
Malik has broken Pakistani
religious and national taboos in the past. She is a target for
conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.
Conservative
cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV on Saturday that her
latest venture into controversy was a "shame for all Muslims."
In
an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, however,
Malik said the nude photo was published in violation of her agreement
with FHM India and she was considering legal action against the
magazine.
Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a "bold
but not nude shot." She said the editor of the magazine had promised
that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials.
The
photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies,
she said, adding "whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind
that."
Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik had given full consent for the shoot and the picture.
"We have all the record(s)," he told the Pakistani television station. "Veena was very excited about that ISI idea."
Zubair
Khan, a 40-year-old shopkeeper in the northwestern city of Peshawar,
agreed, saying the photo had given rival India another opportunity to
insult Pakistan.
"She has earned a bad name for the entire Pakistan nation," he said.
Others questioned the authenticity of the photo.
"It
seems to be an Indian attempt to malign Pakistan by faking her nude
pics, or she might have done it to get a cheap publicity," said Lubna
Khalid, 38, a housewife in the southern port city of Karachi.
Twitter
commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to "make copies of
the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will
know there were some amongst us who lived free!"
Asked by
reporters whether Pakistan would "pursue the matter" legally, the
country's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, "First, let us
see whether it is real or fake."
Malik does most of her work in
India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan's is
moribund. Her ties to Pakistan's archrival have landed her in
controversy in the past.
During a much-publicized talk show
appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who
criticized her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on
an Indian reality show.
"What is your problem with me?" an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam.
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani actress who posed in the nude
for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan's feared and
powerful intelligence agency on her arm has triggered fury across this
conservative nation.
Veena Malik's photo on the website of FHM
India, in advance of its publication in the magazine's December issue,
has been lighting up social network websites since earlier this week.
Many
here anticipate a backlash, as nationalists and Islamists regularly
stage rallies against anything they deem an insult to Islam or to the
national honor. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and the
Inter-Services Intelligence agency or ISI has been accused of sponsoring
terrorist attacks inside India.
Malik has broken Pakistani
religious and national taboos in the past. She is a target for
conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.
Conservative
cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV on Saturday that her
latest venture into controversy was a "shame for all Muslims."
In
an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast Saturday, however,
Malik said the nude photo was published in violation of her agreement
with FHM India and she was considering legal action against the
magazine.
Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a "bold
but not nude shot." She said the editor of the magazine had promised
that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials.
The
photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies,
she said, adding "whatever happens (in India), people say ISI is behind
that."
Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Malik had given full consent for the shoot and the picture.
"We have all the record(s)," he told the Pakistani television station. "Veena was very excited about that ISI idea."
Zubair
Khan, a 40-year-old shopkeeper in the northwestern city of Peshawar,
agreed, saying the photo had given rival India another opportunity to
insult Pakistan.
"She has earned a bad name for the entire Pakistan nation," he said.
Others questioned the authenticity of the photo.
"It
seems to be an Indian attempt to malign Pakistan by faking her nude
pics, or she might have done it to get a cheap publicity," said Lubna
Khalid, 38, a housewife in the southern port city of Karachi.
commentator Umair Javed however called on Pakistanis to "make copies of
the picture and bury it in your backyard. This way, our grandkids will
know there were some amongst us who lived free!"
Asked by
reporters whether Pakistan would "pursue the matter" legally, the
country's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Saturday, "First, let us
see whether it is real or fake."
Malik does most of her work in
India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan's is
moribund. Her ties to Pakistan's archrival have landed her in
controversy in the past.
During a much-publicized talk show
appearance early this year, she lashed out her nemesis Abdul Qawi, who
criticized her for having a scripted love affair with an Indian actor on
an Indian reality show.
"What is your problem with me?" an angry Malik demanded of the scholar, who had accused her of insulting Islam.
