125 Prophet cartoons protesters arrested in Pakistan

Police arrested 125 prophet cartoon protesters for violating a ban on rallies in eastern Pakistan, amid expectations of more demonstrations Friday around the country in the wake of riots that have killed five people this week.

Photo: 125 Prophet cartoons protesters arrested in Pakistan

About 300 police swooped down on the protesters, who gathered Friday morning at a traffic circle in Multan city, chanting, "We are slaves of the prophet," and trampling on a Danish flag, said Sharif Zafar, a police official in Multan.

Protesters shouted "Death to Musharraf" as they were bundled into two police buses.

Zafar said they were being taken to a police station because they were violating a ban on rallies in the Punjab province, declared after deadly riots in the provincial capital Lahore on Tuesday.

In Karachi, a youth group called Pasban called a strike in the teeming port city on Friday, where about 40,000 people joined a peaceful protest on Thursday.

"We expect that people of all sects and walks of life will keep their businesses shut to convey a message to the Western world," said Altaf Shakoor, Pasban's chief.

Supporters of the radical Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's largest Islamic group, also planned to hold rallies in Karachi after midday prayers Friday, said Sarfaraz Ahmed, a spokesman for the anti-U.S. group, reports the AP.

I.L.