PESHAWAR, Sept 22: The Federal Minister for Railways, Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, has come up with a $100,000 bounty for anyone who kills the filmmaker whose anti-Islam movie has inflamed the Muslim world.

“I announce today that if somebody kills this blasphemer, I will give that person a prize of $100,000,” Ghulam Ahmed Bilour told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday.

“I also invite Taliban and Al Qaeda brothers to be partners in this noble deed,” he said, adding that given the chance he would kill the filmmaker “with my own hand and then they can hang me”.

“We are not against freedom of expression, but the misuse of freedom of expression to hurt religious sentiments of others is totally wrong and intolerable,” he said.

Mr Bilour stressed the need for an international law against blaspheming religions before warning that failure to do so could have disastrous consequences.

Expressing concern over the violence during the “Yaum-i-Ishq-i-Rasool Day”, he said: “This is not the way to condemn the sacrilegious film. We fully support peaceful protests and demonstrations, but do not support violence.”

The railway minister condemned the killing of driver of the ARY news channel and five other people during demonstrations on Friday and expressed sympathy with the affected people.

“I announce $100,000 bounty for head of the man who made the anti-Islam film.

“If any international court declares me guilty of announcing the bounty, I am ready to be hanged in the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). We are ready to give any sacrifice to protect the dignity and honour of the holy Prophet,” he said.

The minister condemned the torching of a church in Mardan, saying that “Islam does not allow such acts”. He said the Western world had no respect for Islam and if Muslims also started such actions the results would be disastrous.