A Pakistani actress who posed naked for an Indian magazine with the initials of Pakistan’s feared and powerful intelligence agency on her arm has sparked fury.

Veena Malik’s photo on the website of FHM India, in advance of publication in the magazine’s December issue, has been lighting up social network websites since earlier last week.

Many here anticipate a backlash, as nationalists and Islamists regularly stage rallies against anything they deem an insult to Islam or to the national honour.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars and the Inter-Services Intelligence agency or ISI has been accused of sponsoring terrorist attacks inside India. Ms Malik has broken Pakistani religious and national taboos in the past. She is a target for conservative ire and a heroine to some Pakistani liberals.

Conservative cleric Maulana Abdul Qawi declared on Aaj TV today that her latest venture into controversy was a “shame for all Muslims.”

In an interview with Pakistani Geo television broadcast, however, Ms Malik said the nude photo was published in violation of her agreement with FHM India and she was considering legal action against the magazine.

Ms Malik acknowledged having been photographed for a “bold but not nude shot.”

She said the editor of the magazine had promised that he would cover most of the photo with the ISI initials. The photo was intended to poke fun at the Indian fear of Pakistani spies, she said, adding “whatever happens in India, people say ISI is behind that”.

Magazine editor Kabeer Sharma said Ms Malik had given full consent for the shoot and the picture.

“We have all the records,” he told Pakistani television stations. “Veena was very excited about that ISI idea.”

Ms Malik does most of her work in India. The entertainment sector there is booming, while Pakistan’s is moribund. Her ties to Pakistan’s archrival have landed her in controversy in the past.