Protesters denounce blasphemous caricatures across Pakistan

KARACHI: Protests against blasphemous caricatures by a French satirical magazine continued across Pakistan on Friday.

Religious organisations, political parties and civil society held protests after Friday prayers denouncing blasphemous cartoon published by the weekly magazine in the aftermath of a deadly terrorist attack on its office earlier in the month.

Protest rallies were organised in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas and Jacobabad among other Sindh cities and towns.

Protesters were holding placards and chanted slogans against France government for allowing the magazine to publish blasphemous cartoons in the name of freedom of speech.

A shutter-down strike was observed in Tando Allahyar and other big and small towns of the province.

In Sargodha, trader organisations hold a complete shutter down strike while protest rallies were also organised in other cities and towns of Punjab.

Female students and civil society held a joint-demonstration against the cartoons in . In Faisalabad, protesters demanded of the government to end diplomatic relations with France.

In other towns of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, protesters declared the act international terrorism.

Meanwhile, Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) held a protest rally in Karachi and expressed anger over the blasphemous publication.