US anti-Islamic film ads in Pakistan a mistake - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

A leading House Republican has criticized the Obama administration for running advertisements in Pakistan denouncing the anti-Islamic film that allegedly sparked violent and deadly protests across Muslim world, calling the roughly approximately 70,000 dollar project a "horrible idea." "I think it was a horrible idea. It gave credibility and it gave a permission slip to Al Qaeda, to Pakistani officials. I don't know who gave them the advice. It was horrible advice. It has exacerbated the situation," Fox News quoted Michigan Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, as saying. The ad features President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton denouncing the film- The Innocence of Muslims- made by South California filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. The State Department had reportedly paid seven Pakistani stations to run the ad. At least 40 people have been reportedly killed as a result of the attacks including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, in Libya . Rogers has been among the most outspoken skeptics of that analysis. He recently told Fox News he has "no doubt" the attack in Libya was planned and had nothing to do with the film. Rogers suggested the administration had to run the ads after pinning the blame on the film. "The administration gave credibility to this video that certainly nobody in America had seen and very few across the Middle East ," he said. Rogers also argued that Pakistan Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour personally offering $100,000 for the death of the person who produced the film is further proof the administration made a mistake by running the ads. "This is a minister of the government of Pakistan. As you have seen, it hasn't been effective," Rogers said.

US running anti-Islamic film ads in Pakistan a mistake, says Republican Rogers