3 more die as violent protests over cartoons continue in Pakistan
17:45:34 EST Feb 15, 2006
RIAZ KHAN
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A demonstration by more than 70,000 people, angered by cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, turned into a riot Wednesday, with armed protesters firing on police and youths torching foreign-owned businesses. Three people were killed, including an eight-year-old boy.
It was the third straight day of violent protests in Pakistan. Government and intelligence officials are suggesting some of the riots may have been orchestrated by Islamic extremists who want to exploit the rage over the drawings to undermine the government of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close ally of the United States.
Two people were killed in riots Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore, violence which some authorities said may have inspired the riots Wednesday in the conservative northwestern hub of Peshawar.
The drawings, which have offended Muslims worldwide, were first published in a Danish newspaper in September and were recently reprinted in other publications. One depicted the prophet with a turban shaped like a bomb with a burning fuse.
Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai met in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Wednesday and appealed for European and other western countries to condemn the cartoons, saying freedom of the press did not mean the right to insult the religious beliefs of others.
"I hope the EU countries and those which are directly involved in printing of these blasphemous sketches will take stock of the situation and condemn it," Musharraf was quoted saying by the state Associated Press of Pakistan after the meeting.
Earlier Wednesday, the European Union condemned both the cartoons and what it called "systematic incitement to violence" against European diplomatic missions by some unidentified governments - an apparent reference to Iran and Syria. The U.S. has accused Tehran and Damascus of stoking the violence against western targets.
Demonstrations have been rumbling for weeks around Asia and the Middle East over the cartoons and at least 19 people have been killed. The deadliest were in Afghanistan, where 11 people died last week, and in Pakistan where at least five have been killed over the last two days. Also this month, one person was killed in Lebanon, one in Somalia and one in Kenya.
The Pakistani protesters have targeted U.S. and other western businesses, such as KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Citibank, Holiday Inn and the Norwegian cellphone company, Telenor.
In Peshawar on Wednesday, demonstrations drew more than 70,000 protesters, the largest yet in Pakistan. Youths first set fire to a KFC restaurant and some demonstrators armed with pistols opened fire on police. Rioters also ransacked the offices of Telenor, as well as Pakistani cellphone operator Mobilink, three cinemas and a bus terminal.
"The European newspapers have abused our religion," said 22-year-old protester Shaukat Khan, his eyes streaming from police tear gas near the burning bus terminal, where looters also stole cash and bundles of phone cards. "We are expressing our anger," he said.
Two people died in Peshawar: an eight-year old boy hit in the face by a demonstrator's bullet, and a 25-year-old man struck by an electric cable that was snapped by gunfire. At least 85 others were injured. In Lahore, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed in a clash with police.
The riots followed a call for a strike by three different associations representing traders and transport operators, who shuttered businesses for the day. The associations, which enjoy political clout in many Pakistani cities, commonly lobby the government on business concerns, but also occasionally raise protests on religious and social issues.
Mohammed Jan, president of the Central Organization of Traders, said their demonstration in the centre of Peshawar had been peaceful. He blamed police for firing tear gas that caused panic and sparked riots that substantially damaged locally owned businesses.
Police in Peshawar denied that, and said the main spark for the unrest appeared to be the widely televised events in Lahore on Tuesday.
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said he believed some people were masterminding the violence "to spread anarchy, panic and instability." But he did not name any suspects.
© The Canadian Press, 2006
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