Pakistan Hit by Anti-Islam Video Protests
Pakistan Hit by Anti-Islam Video Protests - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English
US embassy in Islamabad is latest target of around 5,000 demonstrators angry at video mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
The US embassy in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, has become the latest target of protesters angry at an anti-Islam video that triggered protests in the Arab and Muslim world.
The total number of protesters reached around 5,000 later on Thursday with the arrival of protesters carrying the flags of hardline Islamist groups. At least 50 people were injured as police fired tear gas and live rounds towards the crowds.
Hundreds of students from various colleges and educational institutions in Islamabad had begun clashing with police as security forces tried to block them from reaching the embassy compoud, which also includes the British and French diplomatic missions.
The students responded by pelting the police with stones, and the police retaliated by firing tear gas shells.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the situation was eventually brought under “control” by police and the military.
“Police tried to control the crowd by firing in the air and using tear gas. But because of the size of the crowd, the police were forced to ask for help from the military,” he said