Pakistan has criticised the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo saying the decision politicised the accolade and harmed its prestige. Pakistan's foreign ministry in a statement said in Islamabad that Pakistan was surprised and deeply perturbed over the award by the Nobel Peace Prize Committee.China is a strong ally of Pakistan and Islamabad draws heavily on Beijing for its defence and infrastructure needs. The award sparked a furious reaction from China, which on Friday said that Liu Xiaobo was a convicted criminal and the honour was equivalent of encouraging crime.Liu, a 54-year-old former university professor serving an 11-year sentence for subversion, was awarded the peace prize on October 8 for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.