New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) Under fire for a controversial advertisement featuring a former Pakistani air chief issued by her ministry, a defensive Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath Sunday said that 'message is more important than the image'.

The Prime Minister's Office has apologised for inclusion of the picture of former Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Ahmed in a full-page advertisement issued by the women and child development ministry and ordered an internal inquiry into the lapse.

'Message is more important than the image. The real motive behind this advertisement was to encourage females to become mothers and stop female foeticide,' said Tirath.

She accused the media of kicking up a controversy over the issue.

'You (media) are creating an unnecessary issue,' Tirath said.

'The photograph is only symbolic. The message for the girl child is more important. She should be protected,' Tirath added.

The ministry has initiated an inquiry and is probing at which level the lapse happened.

The advertisement issued by the government's Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) for the ministry on the occasion of National Girl Child Day had inexplicably included the photograph of the former Pakistani air chief, along with such national heroes as Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Amjad Ali Khan.