Twenty killed as anti-Prophet Muhammad film protests in Pakistan turn deadly

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: Nearly
20 people were killed and hundreds injured today when thousands of angry
demonstrators during government-sanctioned protests over an anti-Islam
film turned violent in several cities across Pakistan on a day being
observed as 'Love the Prophet Day'.
The worst affected was
Pakistan's financial hub Karachi, where 14 people were killed including
two policemen who were shot dead. Around 110 others injured when
anti-film rallies turned violent and anarchy prevailed for many hours in
some parts of the coastal city.
Officials said nearly 200 people were injured in Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar before the protests tapered off at nightfall.
Rampaging mobs destroyed private and government property worth crores
of rupees across the country. Protestors vandalized and torched three
cinema halls and the chamber of commerce in Peshawar in the northwest.
Five persons, including an employee of a TV news channel, were killed in violence in Peshawar city, officials said.
ARY News said its employee Mohammad Amir died after being hit by a
bullet in police firing. Others were killed in police firing or clashes
between protestors and police.
Footage on television showed several armed protestors firing during demonstrations.
In Karachi, mobs torched three cinema halls, three government offices,
three banks and several police vans near the Chief Minister's residence.
At many places, crowds of protestors looted shops and private
buildings. A toll plaza and several vehicles were burnt by protestors on
the outskirts of Rawalpindi.
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