A government minister in Pakistan, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, offered $100,000 reward at the weekend to anyone who will murder the maker of the 'Innocence of Muhammad' film, which has sparked riots and violence across the Muslim world.
But Pakistani Government said on Monday that the offer of $100,000 by its minister for anyone who kills the maker of an anti-Islam film does not represent official policy.
The minister belongs to the secular Awami National Party, an ally in the government of President Asif Ali Zardari. The ANP is also the ruling party in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The party is considered anti-Taliban and has lost several leaders in the fight against militancy.
The film, titled "Innocence of Muslims," has enraged many Muslims around the world for its vulgar portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad.
The film's producer, alleged to be Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, has been in hiding since the unrest began.
The Pakistani government had called for a "special day of love" for Muhammad ahead of Friday prayers but demonstrations in Karachi and Peshawar turned violent, following similar unrest in the capital Islamabad on Thursday
Produced in the US, the anti-Islam film, whose origins remains unclear, was posted onto YouTube two weeks ago, causing attacks on US embassies in Egypt and Libya. The riots quickly spread to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, however, Friday's unrest in Pakistan was by far the bloodiest day of the riots so far.
In Bangladesh, 10,000 protesters took to the streets of Dhaka to burn French and American flags as well as a mock-up of Barack Obama's coffin.
Further demonstrations were reported in Rawalpindi and Lahore after religious organisations called for continued protests over the film.
On Thursday evening, Pakistani TV ran adverts featuring Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton condemning the film in an effort to distance the US from the amateur production. The adverts were broadcast in English with Urdu subtitles.
The US has warned its citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Pakistan, while Richard Hoagland, the US charge d'affaires, has reportedly received an official complaint from the Pakistani government.
Cartoons of Muhammad printed in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and reprinted by several news organisations in Europe, have exacerbated ill feeling towards the west. The French government closed 20 embassies last Friday following publication of the caricatures.
On Friday, the militia responsible for the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi on 11 September were driven out of the Libyan city by a popular protest.
Ansar al-Sharia, the hard-line Islamist group responsible for the killing of four US diplomats, including the ambassador, Chris Stevens, were swept of their base on Friday evening.
The storming of the base left at least 10 dead, according to Reuters.
The violence started when a large crowd gathered outside Ansar al-Sharia's base, shouting "no to militias". Supporters of the militia fired warning shots at the crowd, but fled with their weapons when the protesters failed to disperse
Parts of the base and vehicles were set on fire. A weapons depot was looted, according to the AFP news agency.
Earlier, more than 30,000 protesters marched through the city demanding an end to the rule of armed gangs. Since the killing of the ambassador two weeks ago, part of the protests over the anti-Islam film that have spread throughout the Muslim world, residents of Benghazi have protested against the militias, and demanded a return to the rule of law.
Culled from FOX NEWS
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