ISLAMABAD, June 4: Pakistan has banned the Da Vinci Code following calls from both minority Christians and majority Muslims, an official said on Sunday. The adaptation of Dan Brown’s best-selling novel has made hundreds of millions of dollars around the world since it opened last month.

But the screening of the film, or possession of it on video cassettes or discs, was prohibited and unlawful, said Jalil Abbas, secretary of the Ministry of Culture. “The film is sacrilegious to all religions, that’s why we did this,” Abbas said.

Police had been ordered to conduct raids and confiscate pirated copies of the film, he said. —Reuters