Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday that Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has apologised to Pakistan over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which have sparked violent protests across the country. Stoltenberg apologised to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz by telephone on Tuesday, Rashid said. "They (the Norwegians) have apologised," he said. "They have said that they have openly apologised and all Muslim countries have accepted the apology." The cartoons were first printed in Denmark, but media in other European nations, including Norway, published the caricatures in the name of free expression.