Protests across Pakistan against prophet’s cartoons on Facebook

ISLAMABAD - Rallies and demonstrations were held across Pakistan Friday to protest publishing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammad on social network site Facebook and Youtube.

Protesters urged the government to take strict action against the countries involved in publishing of the caricatures.

A protest rally was taken out from the Faisal Masjid here after Friday prayers by students of the International Islamic University of Islamabad. The protesters chanted slogans against the elements involved in publishing of caricatures on Facebook website and urged the Muslim world to take a united stance against the “conspiracy”.

In Rawalpindi, various religious and student organisations took out rallies in different parts of the garrison city and supported the blocking of Youtube and Facebook websites, adding the Muslim community should raise the issue at the United Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Lahore High Court Bar associations in the Punjab capital also took out a protest rally, contending that the caricatures had hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims across the world and all the Muslim countries should move the International Court of Justice.

Protests rallies and demonstrations were also reported from Karachi, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Peshawar, among other cities.