Pakistan minister rejects fatwa Pakistan's Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar has dismissed a fatwa issued against her by an unofficial Islamic court in the capital, Islamabad. On Sunday, the chief cleric of the Lal Masjid Mosque issued a fatwa against her after she was pictured hugging a man following a paragliding flight. The cleric described Ms Bakhtiar's behaviour as obscene. The mosque and two Islamic schools attached to it have been accused of promoting intolerance. In an interview with the BBC's Newshour programme, Ms Bakhtiar said the photo was misleading. "The photograph was taken in a manner so that the whole thing was not portrayed clearly," she said. "It had the wrong caption." "In fact I am very proud of what I did, and if given the chance would do it again. "Under President Musharraf women's rights have moved on considerably," she said, "but we are still in a period of transition and negative forces are not feeling happy about it." Moreover, she said, the opinion of the chief cleric of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), Abdul Azizhad had no legal value because it did not reflect public opinion. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6540375.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6503477.stm