The picture shows Malik posing, apparently naked, with her arms covering her breasts. She has ISI written on one arm; the initials of Pakistan’s secretive Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency.
The naked FHM India cover has caused controversy in Pakistan, both because of Malik’s nudity and because of the reference to ISI.
According to Malik she did not pose nude and FHM has doctored the image to make it appear so. Her lawyers are arguing that the actress’s reputation has been damaged and are asking the magazine to pay $2 million in damages.
“I agreed to a photo shoot and having an ISI tattoo in a humorous way but I did not have any nude photos. My pictures have been morphed,” Malik told a Pakistani TV channel.
However, FHM Editor Kabeer Sharma claims the nude pictures are the real deal and says he has video of the shoot to prove it.
“All the allegations are false and we are looking at various options, including filing a countersuit,” he told the BBC.
In India, the ISI is often held accountable for terrorist attacks.
Recently, senior US officials accused it of supporting militants based in Pakistan’s tribal areas who target Western troops in Afghanistan, something Pakistan denies.
This alone would have made the FHM cover controversial; the fact that Malik is naked has added outrage.
When asked whether Pakistan would “pursue the matter” legally, Islamabad’s interior minister said: “First, let us see whether it is real or fake.”
Talking to an Australian newspaper on Sunday, Malik said that although she no longer wears a burqa, as she did during her academic years, she did not pose naked as she is a Muslim.
Malik has been outspoken in her criticism of Pakistani society, which she believes deeply mistreats women.
The picture shows Malik posing, apparently naked, with her arms covering her breasts. She has ISI written on one arm; the initials of Pakistan’s secretive Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency.
The naked FHM India cover has caused controversy in Pakistan, both because of Malik’s nudity and because of the reference to ISI.
According to Malik she did not pose nude and FHM has doctored the image to make it appear so. Her lawyers are arguing that the actress’s reputation has been damaged and are asking the magazine to pay $2 million in damages.
“I agreed to a photo shoot and having an ISI tattoo in a humorous way but I did not have any nude photos. My pictures have been morphed,” Malik told a Pakistani TV channel.
However, FHM Editor Kabeer Sharma claims the nude pictures are the real deal and says he has video of the shoot to prove it.
“All the allegations are false and we are looking at various options, including filing a countersuit,” he told the BBC.
In India, the ISI is often held accountable for terrorist attacks.
Recently, senior US officials accused it of supporting militants based in Pakistan’s tribal areas who target Western troops in Afghanistan, something Pakistan denies.
This alone would have made the FHM cover controversial; the fact that Malik is naked has added outrage.
When asked whether Pakistan would “pursue the matter” legally, Islamabad’s interior minister said: “First, let us see whether it is real or fake.”
Talking to an Australian newspaper on Sunday, Malik said that although she no longer wears a burqa, as she did during her academic years, she did not pose naked as she is a Muslim.
Malik has been outspoken in her criticism of Pakistani society, which she believes deeply mistreats women.
