Protesters, police clash near French Consulate in Karachi

KARACHI: Protests against the publishing of blasphemous caricatures in a French magazine turned violent as protesters mostly belonging to Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) clashed with police outside the French Consulate in Karachi.

Police used a water cannon and aerial firing to disperse the protesters who had earlier pelted them with stones. A policeman, photographer from AFP and cameraman of Capital TV were injured during the clash and were treated at Jinnah Hospital.

Rangers were called in to control the situation at the consulate which is located in the Bath Island area of the city.




Following the clash, the protesters retreated to 'teen talwar' but refused to leave while police blocked access to the consulate.

Later police held a successful dialogue with the protesters after which the crowd disbursed from outside the French Consulate and the area was cleared.

Journalist injured by protesters: Police

DIG South, Abdul Khaliq Sheikh told Geo News that protesters had shot the AFP photographer Asif Hasan who was standing next to policemen outside the French Consulate.

Sheikh said police resorted to using force against the protesters after force had been used against them. He added Rangers and police had been deployed and security outside the French Consulate had been heightened.

Police fires at protesters: IJT Secretary

IJT Secretary Umair Saeed during a news conference at Press Club said police fired at protesters which led to injuries to a journalist. He added that Sindh Police had acted like the police in Punjab by deploying ‘Gullu Butts’ in plain clothes.

Country-wide protests

Strict security arrangements were made for country-wide protests announced by religious parties against the French magazine which published blasphemous caricatures.




Protests against the publishing of blasphemous caricatures were held across Punjab including Multan, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, Lahore and Rahim Yar Khan.
Protesters demanded that action should be taken against those responsible under international law.

Rallies were also held across Sindh including Sukkur, Hyderabad and Jacobabad demanding that Pakistan and other Muslim countries play their role in ensuring that those responsible are held responsible.

Lawyers at the Peshawar High Court as well lower courts also called for a strike.

NA resolution against blasphemous caricatures

On Thursday, The National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the blasphemous caricatures published by the magazine. The resolution was tabled by Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and called upon the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) to stop such caricatures from being published. The resolution stated that Parliament respects the freedom of expression but European countries should know the limits associated with it.

Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said yesterday that no Muslim could tolerate blasphemy and this issue should be raised on the international forum at every level.

PM Nawaz condemns blasphemous caricatures

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the publication of blasphemous sketches in a French journal and said international community should discourage it.

Freedom of speech should not be used to hurt religious sentiments of any community, the Prime Minister said in a statement issued by his office.
He said publication of provocative material should be discouraged by the international community.