Pakistani group puts bounty on Danish cartoonist' heads

Bounty put on prophet cartoonists' heads

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns Danish travellers to Pakistan of increased hazard after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Muslim prophet Mohammed

What began as a protest demonstration in Pakistani capital Islamabad two weeks ago, has ended in death threats and a price on the heads of a number of Danish illustrators who heeded the call of daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten to send in cartoons of Muslim prophet Mohammed.

The newspaper published twelve of the cartoons in September, sparking angry reactions from Denmark's Muslim population and a number of Muslim countries.

Daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende reported on Friday that a bounty of DKK 50,000 (EUR 7000) had been put on the head the cartoonist responsible for the drawings. The Pakistani group offering the reward mistakenly believes that the 12 cartoons were created by just one person.

Danish Ambassador to Pakistan Bent Wigotski said the bounty had been promised by religious party Jamaate-Islami and its youth organisation, which had also demanded Danish representatives expelled from the country.

Danish authorities immediately informed the Pakistani government about the death threats and bounty promised by the party, which is described as nationalistic and fundamentalist.

Ever since the demonstrators marched through the streets of Islamabad, the party has been spreading its message through the media and flyers.

Wigotski said he had no plans to leave Pakistan, despite hundreds of angry protest letters from Muslims around the world.

'But the situation is of course serious,' he said. 'They might want to get to the Danish illustrators, but if they can't reach them, they could make to with a scapegoat.'

That scapegoat could be anybody, the embassy warned, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned all travellers from visiting Pakistan because of heightened risk of violence.

Pakistani Ambassador to Denmark Javed Qureshi denounced the death threats.

'No Pakistani government would ever support such a thing, I'm sure that the current government will take action in the case. I can't imagine that a bounty like that doesn't violate Pakistani legislation,' he said.