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Protests turn violent in Pakistan

B. Muralidhar Reddy

Two die in Lahore firing; 40 vehicles damaged in Islamabad

CHARGED UP: Students run away from tear gas fired by police after they staged a protest against the publication of cartoons on Prophet Muhammed, in Islamabad on Tuesday. — PHOTO: AP

ISLAMABAD: At least 40 vehicles of the Government and diplomatic missions, including a car of the Indian High Commission, were damaged here on Tuesday by angry crowds protesting against derogatory cartoons published in European newspapers.

The Indian mission car, parked outside a five-star hotel, along with several other vehicles, became the target of the retreating protesters after they were chased away by the police from the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave.

Authorities here appeared caught unawares as 200-odd students from local schools and colleges descended around noon in the high security zone and managed to break through the police barricades at the entrance of the diplomatic enclave.

Given the frenzy among the crowd the situation could have taken a serious turn but for the success of the police in forcing them back. The protesters managed to reach the entrance of the Indian High Commission, the first diplomatic mission in the enclave.

Pitched battle

The protesters fought pitched battles with the policemen in a drama which went on for over 45 minutes. They dispersed only after a lathi-charge and firing of several rounds of tear gas but not before damaging several vehicles.

According to eye witness accounts, the crowd was on the look out for the mission of a particular Western country which has been the focus of world attention ever since the publication of the offensive cartoons in September last year.

Sensing trouble outside, Indian mission officials sealed all the entrances to the building and mounted extra security to ensure that there was untoward incident.

The mission officials believe that the mission car was not targeted deliberately by the crowd and it could be a case of "collateral damage".

In Labore, at least two persons were killed and several others injured in protests against the cartoons.

The deaths occurred as a security guard opened fire to quell an angry crowd which was about to attack a bank. There were reports of agitated people attacking and torching Western fast food outlets as well as company offices in the city.

The building of Punjab Provincial Assembly also became the target of mob anger.

A portion of the Assembly building caught fire after the crowd reportedly threw a cracker inside. Elsewhere in the city, the stick-wielding protesters attacked and damaged two McDonald's restaurants and a Pizza Hut, before pelting the Holiday Inn Hotel and some government buildings with stones.

In Peshawar, capital of North West Frontier province, around 1,500 persons gathered at several separate rallies and police tear-gassed around 200 students who burned tyres to block the main road out of the city.

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