Minister tells militants to jump

Nilofar Bakhtiar. Photo / Reuters

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani woman minister defied Islamist radicals' calls for her dismissal for hugging her para-jumping instructor, saying she would not hesitate to jump again for a good cause.

"We don't need to be intimidated by these people," Minister of Tourism Nilofar Bakhtiar said. "I have no regrets."

The chief cleric of Islamabad's Lal Masjid issued a fatwa calling on the Government to sack Bakhtiar after a paper published a photo of her hugging the instructor after a jump in France to raise funds for Pakistan earthquake survivors.

Followers of Lal Masjid radicals have become increasingly bold in challenging the Government's authority. In February, an Islamist militant shot dead a woman minister of the Punjab state government.

- REUTERS