Pakistan authorities sealed off a major road into the capital Islamabad for a second day Monday as a far-right religious party held fresh anti-France protests. Pakistan has seen small and scattered protests over the past few weeks in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent remarks on Islam. The French president spoke out after an extremist beheaded a teacher near Paris after he showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed during a class on free speech. Macron’s comments triggered anger across the Muslim world, with tens of thousands in Pakistan, neighbouring Iran and other Muslim countries in South Asia flooding the streets and organising anti-French boycotts. Sunday’s march was organised by hardline cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, whose party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), is known for violent protests over the issue.

Source: The Hindu November 16, 2020 08:48 UTC