Pakistan Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar has dismissed speculation that she was asked to quit by the prime minister in the wake of a fatwa by clerics for hugging her French trainer, saying she chose to resign as she was hurt by the malicious criticism following the incident.
Bakhtiar said she sent her resignation papers to the prime minister but said she would go public with the reasons only after meeting Aziz.
However, she dispelled an impression that Aziz had asked her to quit following pressure from the clerics of Lal Masjid, who issued a fatwa against her for hugging her French para trainer in Paris whose photographs were published in the media.
She said she had been hurt by the way her adventure in France had been sensationalised.
"The French media praised my daring attempt but unfortunately some irresponsible elements in Pakistan presented this noble cause in a malicious manner," she said.
The jump was aimed at mobilising funds for the victims of the 2005 earthquake, she said.
"Whatever I did was well within the realm of faith and patriotism. I had para-jumped for a noble cause during my stopover in France -- charity for the quake-devastated areas of northern Pakistan, and all I got in return for the maiden glide was a congratulatory pat on my shoulders from the instructor".
"I can assure you neither of us meant any harm to cultural or societal norms. It is not un-Islamic or unpatriotic to jump from a plane with a parachute, as the clerics have indicated in their fatwa," she said.
Aziz is yet to accept her resignation.
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