Updated on
Summary Major political parties and religious groups have announced to hold anti US rallies today.
Police blocked all the entering ways to Islamabad by installing containers; however protesters piled stones of security forces and entered the diplomatic enclave after removing all the barricades.On the other hand, security forces did shelling from helicopter in order to disperse protestors. In Faizabad, angry people also made hue and cry and set a container on fire.A large number of police vans parked at a CNG station were also set on fire.At Sarina Chawk, protestors also piled stones on security forces and broke the checkpost. Police did shelling on them and arrested three people.Before this, angry people torched a toll plaza on IJP Road.In the area of Rawalpindi at Pir Wadhai Road, protestors also threw stones on police vans and broke public property. While keeping in view, that law and enforcement agencies have imposed section 144 under which nobody is allowed to protest with arms and ammunition.Likewise, Express Way also has been blocked from Airport to Zero Point. In Lahore, protestors reached US consulate and shouted slogans against the US which is using Machiavellian tactics in order to ignite Muslim Ummah.In Peshawar, protestors set four vans on fire which had been parked in the compound of Chamber of Commerce.In Islamabad, angry mob broke windows of vans parked outside the police station. Demonstrators also tried to enter the US consulate by removing the container but police dispersed them by throwing shells of tear gas on them.In Karachi, angry people snatched a gun from a policeman and broke windows of a commercial bank.While keeping in view current situation, an emergency has been enforced in hospitals in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Karachi and Quetta. All the professionals and specialists particularly doctors, surgeons and paramedical staff have been ordered to attend their duties. The government has called an impromptu public holiday on Friday -- a day of love for the prophet -- and has urged people to protest peacefully to show their opposition to a US-made anti-Islam film and cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a French magazine.All of Pakistans major political parties and religious groups have announced protests, as have many trade and transport organisations.Educational institutions, banks, government and private offices and markets across the country remained closed.There was no public or private transport on the roads and CNG and petrol pumps too were shut.Additional security forces were deployed in most cities and authorities were on high alert.The anti-Islam film has triggered protests in at least 20 countries since excerpts were posted online, and more than 30 people have been killed in related violence.But this week France also found itself in the firing line after the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo printed a batch of cartoons caricaturing the founder of Islam.
