ISLAMABAD - A US news magazine's retraction of a story of alleged Koran abuse did little on Tuesday to calm the anger of officials, political and religious leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"If the retraction is an admission that the story by Newsweek was baseless, then the magazine acted in an irresponsible manner, because of the obvious damaging consequences of the story," Pakistani foreign office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told AFP.
A senior Pakistani Islamic party leader warned that Muslim anger over Newsweek's "humiliating" story on the alleged desecration of the Koran will not subside despite the magazine's retraction.
The powerful six-party Islamic alliance of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) also demanded those responsible for the "conspiracy" be punished.
"Those who planned and flashed this story in Newsweek must be exposed and punished," deputy secretary general of the MMA, Liaquat Baloch, told AFP.
Newsweek magazine reported earlier this month that US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba had defiled copies of the Muslim holy book and stuffed one down a lavatory to rattle Muslim prisoners.
The magazine on Monday retracted the story which triggered an uproar among Muslim nations, including Pakistan, and sparked riots that left 14 people dead in Afghanistan.
"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," the magazine said in a one-sentence statement from editor Mark Whitaker.
The apology followed harsh criticism of the article from Washington officials.
In Afghanistan, president Hamid Karzai's spokesman Jawed Ludin said Tuesday that the magazine "can be held responsible" for the damage it caused in the country.
"We feel anger at the way Newsweek has approached an issue of considerable importance, and significantly sensitive," Ludin said.
Baloch said the "highly humiliating article has also exposed the inner feelings of US policymakers about Islam and the Muslim community."
He said the report was a "conspiracy to widen the gap between Islam and Christianity" after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed about 3,000 people and for which Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.
However, he said the Newsweek report had unified Muslims in expressing their anger.
The MMA has called for a worldwide protest on May 27, he said.
"Regrets will not end the anger, and protests will be staged as planned," he said.
The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto said an apology by Newsweek was not enough. It called for an investigation "to find out as to what was at the bottom of this mischief," party spokesman Farhatullah Babar told AFP.
The retraction came a day after Newsweek acknowledged parts of the article, which appeared in the May 9 edition, may not be accurate.
Pakistan, a key ally in what the US calls a war on terrorism, earlier demanded the United States conduct a thorough probe and share its findings into the reported desecration of the Muslim holy book.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri last week called for severe punishment for any US soldiers proven to have been involved in any abuse of the Koran.
"Even the worst enemy of the United States could not harm the image of the United States in the Muslim world as effectively as they've done if this is correct," Kasuri said.
Newsweek was not the first to report such abuse allegations. Others have been made over the past year.
The US Southern Command, which is responsible for Guantanamo, opened an investigation into the allegation last week after the riots erupted in Afghanistan. Officials said the investigation was continuing.
05/17/2005 13:36 GMT