Blasphemous movie: Roads leading to US Consulate cordoned off

Police say security enhanced to prevent untoward incidents during protests.

LAHORE:

City police on Wednesday blocked three roads leading to the Shimla Pahari Roundabout to prevent access to the American consulate general.

Containers were placed on Davis Road, Egerton Road and Empress Road to stop participants of rallies against an anti-Islam movie from approaching the consulate building.

Durand Road which connects Davis Road with Allama Iqbal Road and Garhi Shahu remained open.

The blockade followed violent clashes between the police and protesters associated with Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen during a demonstration on Monday.

Police and the protesters had pelted each other with stones during clashes that lasted for over four hours. The demonstrators had dispersed after a baton charge by the police.

DIG (Operations) Rai Tahir said security for the consulate building had been beefed up to prevent any “untoward incident”. He said the protests were getting violent with time. He said the containers would be removed once the police were satisfied with the law and order situation.

He urged the citizens to record their resentment in a peaceful manner.

Meanwhile, protest rallies against the movie continued on Wednesday. Two demonstrations were held in Shahdara, one led by students of City District Government High School of Shahdara and the other by residents of Jia Moosa.

Dozens of students marched on the GT Road from Shahdara bus station to Shahdara Chowk.

In the second demonstration, scores of Jia Moosa residents walked from Yousaf Park bus stop to Shahdara Chowk on Sheikhupura Road. The protesters also burned old tyres to block the road for a while. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2012.