A model who posed ‘nude’ on the cover of FHM magazine in India has rubbished rumours she is working as a spy with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Pakistani Veena Malik, who appeared to be sporting an ISI tattoo on her arm in the FHM shoot, has accused the magazine of doctoring the photo to make her look completely naked.
Malik admits to posing topless, covering her breasts with her hands and having the ISI tattoo “in a humorous way” but insists the picture has been morphed.
Today Malik said: “This is total nonsense, what is this, one day some accuse me of being aggressive, then one day I am accused of being a spy, I am an actress and don’t wish to be labelled like this.
“People should respect I am an open honest person just doing my work – this is once again upsetting for me.”
The controversy reached fever pitch when a court ordered Delhi police to investigate accusations Malik was spying for Pakistan, News Pakistan reported.
In December Malik announced she was suing the publisher of the magazine for $2m, while the Pakistan government has ordered a probe into whether the pictures were changed.
In Malik’s fiercely conservative homeland, Islamic clerics denounced the picture, while the military rivalry between the two nations only served to escalate the furore.
However, Kabeer Sharma, the editor of the magazine, remains steadfast that they did not doctor the image.
"Maybe she is facing some kind of backlash, so maybe that's why she is denying it. We have not photo shopped or faked the cover. This is what she looks like, she has an amazing body," he said.
The 33-year-old actress is best known in her homeland for her turn in the Pakistani version of the reality TV show Big Brother.
Earlier this year, she got an on-air argument with a Muslim cleric, who called her an insult to the religion for befriending an Indian actor on the show.
Malik's manager, Nisha Sahdev, said: "We see and hear stories in the press daily on Veena Malik, we choose to let them be but on this occasion we must clear that Veena has all proper paperwork to enter and exit countries she works in and holds all rightful documents for each project, these comments are unnecessary and baseless."
Malik is currently focusing on the release of her three Bollywood films and a reality TV show.
Scroll down for the FHM image that caused all the fuss.
