Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's "You're gorgeous" compliment to U.S. Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in Washington last Thursday landed him in trouble, with the prayer leader of the extremist Lal Masjid mosque in the heart of Islamabad issuing a fatwa against him, media reports said.
Maulana Abdul Ghafar said the act was un-Islamic and unbecoming of a head of state of a Muslim country, adding that he shamed the entire Pakistani nation by publicly making indecent gestures, filthy remarks and repeated praise of a non-Muslim female wearing a short skirt.
He termed the manner in which Zardari shook hands with Palin and expressing his deep desire to hug her, as intolerable and shameful.
"We are fighting the American war in our country and thousands of Pakistanis were killed just to please Uncle Sam. Therefore, we demand that the military operation in the Pak-Afghan tribal areas be immediately stopped, as it is creating hatred amongst the general public against the Pakistani army", he added.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.