Predominantly a Muslim nation, Pakistan is likely to ban the controversial movie "The Da Vinci Code" after its religious affairs minister Thursday condemned the movie for hurting religious sentiments.

Based on Dan Brown's best selling novel and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou, no exhibitor has yet announced plans to screen the movie in Pakistan, but pirated DVDs and VCDs of the movie have already made it to the market.

"We condemn it (the movie), we don't approve of it," Minister Ejaj-ul-Haq told.

Haq said a meeting of the minority council of the religious affairs ministry held a few days ago recommended a ban on the movie.

"We have already sent our recommendations to the prime minister to officially ban it," he said.

The movie's postulation that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and the pair had a child has angered the Christian minority in Pakistan that makes up less than three percent of the over 150 million overwhelmingly Muslim population.

"We condemn it and demand of the Pakistan government to ban its screening," said Julius Salik, a leading Christian leader and former minister in the cabinet of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

He also criticised Western countries and the US for "allowing people to insult religious sentiments" of all faiths, referring to the publication of blasphemous sketches of the Holy Prophet Mohammed by the Western media.

The publications of images drew widespread protests and demonstrations in Pakistan that claimed at least five lives early this year.

Christian groups held demonstrations in the federal capital Islamabad and the southern port city of Karachi Wednesday to protest screening of the movie in various countries.

"It (the movie) attacks our belief in the divinity of Christ and the truthfulness of sacred scriptures," said Shahbaz Bhatti, chairman of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA).

Islamic activists also held protest rallies against the movie in Karachi last month.