The joke was on Pak when journo threw shoes at Bush

Islamabad: The Pentagon has traced down links of Pakistan and Jamaat-ud-Dawa with the pair of shoes that was thrown by a journalist at President George Bush in Iraq, says the latest joke being circulated through e-mail and SMSs.

According to the joke, journalist Muntazir Al-Zaidi had visited Pakistan earlier this year, and was inspired by the shoes thrown at former chief minister of Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim and former parliamentary minister Dr Sher Afghan Niazi, both staunch supporters of former president Pervez Musharraf.

Rahim, who was chief minister of Sindh during the Musharraf regime was "greeted" by shoes when he entered the Sindh Assembly building after the February polls to take oath as a member. Dr Niazi was beaten up by a bunch of lawyers in April this year outside the Lahore High Court.

Zaidi received training in throwing shoes by a Pakistan based Jihadi organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and also shares his name with JuD spokesman Abdullah Muntazir. "This shows that Muntazir has links with JuD as he shares his name with their spokesman," according to the joke.

The message goes on to read: "The DNA sample of leather has revealed that the animal whose skin was used for manufacturing the shoe had traces of grass which is grown in north Pakistan and this skin was collected by LeT on Eid-ul-Adha." It says that ISI is believed to have links with the exporter who supplied shoes to a "particular" shop in Iraq for onward delivery to Al-Zaidi.

"Hearing this, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have decided to ban the Jihadi organization and launched a countrywide crackdown against all the cobblers in Pakistan."

The message also quotes President Bush as saying: "It's a unique idea and I wonder from where it came to the mind of the journalist."

On the other hand, the mainstream media in Pakistan, despite the ongoing crisis in relations with India and the country's internal issues, finds time and space to give big coverage to reactions on the shoe throwing incidents.

Newspapers and channels are giving views of different people, who hail Al-Zaidi on the "courageous step." The GEO news channel is repeatedly showing the clipping of shoe throwing with the background song, Mera juta hai Iraqi, iss ki shan hai nirali... on the pattern of the Indian song Mera juta hai Japani....