Anti-Islam film: FO registers protest with top US diplomat

ISLAMABAD: US Charge d' Affaires, Richard Hoagland was summoned to the Foreign Office on Friday to register Pakistan’s protest against the anti-Islam film. The Foreign Office informed Hoagland that the anti-Islam film was equivalent to an attack on two billion Muslims worldwide. The Foreign Office also demanded that the anti-Islam film be taken of Youtube immediately. According to the Foreign Office, the anti-Islam film was a conspiracy to spread hatred amongst different religions. A press release by the US Embassy stated that Ambassador Hoagland reiterated in his meeting at the Foreign Office that the United States Government has condemned this video’s content and its message and emphasized that the United States Government has nothing to do with it. Ambassador Hoagland stated that this act was a deeply insensitive decision by a single individual to disseminate hatred. It does not reflect the values of the United States, a nation of more than 300 million people, built upon the pillars of religious freedom and tolerance. Ambassador Hoagland echoed the call by the Prime Minister and other officials from the Government of Pakistan for citizens to remain calm and express their views peacefully. Ambassador Hoagland also underscored his appreciation to the Government of Pakistan for its commitment to protect the facilities and personnel of diplomatic missions.

Skiers, rowers may not have more back pain

NEW YORK: Despite putting constant stress on their backs, rowers and cross-country skiers may not have any more chronic lower back pain than the rest of us, a new study suggests. Elite athletes in certain sports that ask a lot of the spine - like gymnastics and wrestling - have been found that have an increased risk of lower back pain. Rowers and cross-country skiers don't have to bend themselves backwards. But they do have to flex and extend their spines, over and over again. "They expose their backs to monotonous movements for a number of years," said Ida Stange Foss, of the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences in Oslo, the lead researcher on the study. Yet in the long run, Foss's team found, elite rowers and skiers may have no more lower back woes than people who get their sports on TV. Of 415 former rowers and cross-country skiers surveyed, about 56 percent said they'd had any lower back pain in the past year. That compared with 53 percent of non-athletes - a difference that could have been due to chance. "This is an important and positive message for the athletes," Foss said in an email. However, the news was not all good. Rowers and skiers who'd trained harder in the past year - more than 550 hours - were also more likely to have had a bout of low back pain in the past year. The pain was generally short-lived. "Most of the elite athletes reported a pain duration between one and seven days, (or) eight to 30 days during the past year," Foss said. "Very few reported pain lasting for more than one month." Still, that means active rowers and cross-country skiers might need to take steps to protect their backs. "It is important for the athletes to prevent lower back pain through strengthening the core muscles and increasing the core stability, to better tolerate the high training volume," Foss said. The study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, included 173 rowers and 242 cross-country skiers who'd been surveyed back in 2000. Foss's team surveyed them again in 2010, asking about their training and exercise levels over the past decade, any problems with back pain. For comparison, the researchers surveyed 116 non-athletes and 209 athletes in orienteering - a sport that involves outdoor running and no specific strain on the back. Most people in each group - around two-thirds - said they'd had low back pain at some point in their lives. Of the athletes, 17 to 19 percent said they'd had pain in the past week, as did 20 percent of the less sporty group. Other studies have found that when it comes to exercise and back pain, extremes matter: Both couch potatoes and heavy-training athletes may be at increased risk. Back in the 2000 survey of these same athletes, the researchers did find that lower back pain became more common as rowers and skiers bumped up their training to get ready for competition. And cross-country skiers had more pain when they used "classic" techniques rather than "freestyle," Foss noted. "These findings," she said, "indicate that it is important to vary movement patterns and techniques, especially during intense training periods." (Reuters)

Singer Fiona Apple arrested on drug charge at Texas border

SAN ANTONIO: Grammy-winning singer Fiona Apple spent the night in a Texas jail after being arrested late Wednesday on a drug possession charge at the border patrol checkpoint where her tour bus was searched, a local judge said. Apple, 35, was taken into custody in the same town where authorities previously nabbed singer Willie Nelson, rapper Snoop Dogg and "The Social Network" actor Armie Hammer on drug charges. The celebrity news website TMZ reported that authorities found hashish, a form of cannabis, on the singer's bus. Officials in Hudspeth County, Texas, could not immediately confirm that allegation to Reuters. The Hudspeth County clerk said a judge set Apple's bond at $11,000 on Thursday. Asked why so many celebrities have been arrested in the remote West Texas county, Judge Becky Dean-Walker, who confirmed Apple's arrest, said, "because they come through here with stuff they shouldn't have." Apple, who won a Grammy for the single "Criminal" off her 1996 debut album "Tidal," was due to perform in Austin on Thursday night. The venue's marketing director said the show had not yet been canceled. The singer-songwriter's representatives could not be immediately reached for comment. (Reuters)

Pakistan-US ties doing ‘better than expected’: Khar

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and the US are repairing ties which had plunged to an all-time low, Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said Friday, despite violent anti-American protests rocking her country. “The last 18 months were very, very difficult,” Khar said at the start of talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, adding the nations were doing “better than we could have expected to do in rebuilding the trust.” The two women leaders were meeting at the State Department as violent protests flared for another day across Pakistan, targeting American diplomatic missions, and fueled by anger at an anti-Islam film which Muslims say insults their faith. As Pakistani police fought back with gunshots and tear gas in five major cities, 15 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. Anger in Pakistan has spiked since the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a secret US commando raid on his Pakistani compound in May 2011, and a US airstrike in November which killed more than 24 Pakistani troops. The incidents saw relations plunge, as Islamabad closed border crossings into Afghanistan to Nato convoys, forcing them to take a longer, more expensive route to supply their troops, until the blockade was lifted in July. But Khar insisted that after efforts to renew the relationship over the past few months “we stand at a time of opportunity.” ”At a time of opportunity to seize the trust deficit mantra and start building on the trust by walking the talk, that achieves the interests that are clearly common.” Clinton said their shared top priority was “pursuing our joint counter-terrorism objectives to ensure the security of American and Pakistan citizens alike.” The two nations “both recognized that we can achieve more when we work together on a focused agenda,” said Clinton who will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “At each meeting we are working to identify the strategic goals we share, and there are many. And the concrete actions we can each take to accomplish them.” (AFP)

US space shuttle lands in LA after final flight

LOS ANGELES: The US space shuttle Endeavour took its final flight Friday, making a spectacular series of flypasts over California before landing in Los Angeles where it will retire near its birthplace.
Riding piggyback on a specially fitted Boeing 747, the shuttle flew over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge before heading south to take in the Hollywood sign and Disneyland, later landing at LA international airport (LAX).
"It's so cool, and so sad," said Todd Unger, 28, among thousands who camped out from the early hours at the Griffith Observatory overlooking the city and the nearby iconic hilltop Tinseltown sign.
"It's the end of an era. But it shows what America can do, we can be really proud," he added, waving a Stars and Stripes flag as the shuttle banked over the Hollywood Hills.
Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper up the winding roads leading up to the observatory, as Angelenos turned out en masse in several parts of the city to witness Endeavour's final flight.
The shuttle had spent the night at Edwards Air Force Base north of Los Angeles, the last leg after a two-day trip across the country from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Before reaching the West Coast, it flew over Tucson, Arizona to honor former lawmaker Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a horrific shooting last year and whose astronaut husband Mark Kelly commanded Endeavour's final mission.
"It was pretty spectacular... The people of Tucson got an incredible view of this remarkable machine," Kelly told CNN, adding: "It's really a testament to American ingenuity."
After arriving Friday afternoon, the shuttle will spend a few weeks at a United Airlines hangar at LAX, before being transferred to the California Science Center, where it will go on display on October 30.
Endeavour, which flew more than 115 million miles (185 million kilometers) in its two-decade career, completed its final mission last year.
After the space agency NASA brought an end to the 30-year shuttle program last year, major US cities battled for the right to house one of the craft.

Two matches in World T20 today

COLOMBO: Two matches will be played in the World Twenty20 gala today where New Zealand will take on Bangladesh in their opening Group D match while the other will be played between Afghanistan and England of Group A, Geo News reported. The match between New Zealand and Bangladesh will be played at Pallekele at 3 pm according to Pakistan Standard Time while the Group A match between Afghanistan and England will be played in Colombo at 7 pm. New Zealand’s build up to the event has been far from ideal as three of their key players, including inspirational former skipper Daniel Vettori and pacer Tim Southee, have been laid low by gastroenteritis. Bangladesh, on the other hand, are a sprightly mix which lost one and won one practice game heading into the big event. Most of the team’s players are in their early 20s and what could work to their advantage is the comfort of the playing in home-like conditions. The likes of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim hold the key to their batting fortunes while Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak will be leading the bowling department.

Sacrilege be declared a crime globally: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Friday demanded from the world community to declare sacrilege a crime globally.
Sacrilege was intolerable for the Muslims, as it was not the issue of freedom of expression instead it was the question of violence on earth, Geo News reported.
Addressing the Ishq-e-Rasool Conference here, the prime minister said that freedom of expression didn’t mean that revered personalities be made a target, adding that protest against such despicable acts was our religious duty.
Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that the world today was threatened by the religious extremism and one of the reasons of extremism was disrespect to other religions.
PM said that the miscreants have targeted the greatest personality of the universe whom no power on earth could ever cause any damage.
PM said that the sentiments of the Muslims were not taken care of, while the debate on holocaust was forbidden. Pakistan has the right to protest against the anti-Islam film and added that all the religions, beliefs and the revered personalities must be respected.
He said that Pakistan was the only Islamic country observing protest day officially and this was not all but President Asif Ali Zardari would be taking up this issue in the General Assembly of the United Nations.
He said anti-social elements were using the concept of freedom of speech in an offensive manner, adding that, Islam was a religion of peace and preached respect for all faiths.
PM Ashraf further said that a significant factor leading to increased extremism the world over was lack of mutual respect among followers of different religions.
He said if such actions did not stop, they would create instability worldwide. fore more http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=68614 اسلام آباد… وزیر اعظم راجہ پرویز اشرف نے عالمی برادری سے مطالبہ کیا ہے کہ توہین رسالت کو عالمی سطح پر جرم قرار دیا جائے، ان کا کہنا تھا کہ مسلمانوں کے لیے توہین رسالت ناقابل قبول ہے، یہ آزادی رائے کا مسئلہ نہیں بلکہ فساد فی الارض کا مسئلہ ہے۔ اسلام آباد میں عشق رسول اللہ ﷺ کانفرنس سے خطاب میں وزیراعظم کا کہنا تھا کہ آزادی اظہار کا یہ مطلب نہیں کہ برگزیدہ ہستیوں کو نشانہ بنایا جائے اور اسے شر پسندمقاصد کیلئے استعمال کیاجائے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ آج دنیا مذہبی شدت پسندی کے خطرے سے دوچار ہے، اور شدت پسندی کی ایک وجہ دوسرے مذاہب کا احترام نہ ہونا بھی ہے۔ وزیراعظم نے کہا کہ شر پسند عناصر نے کائنات کی سب سے عظیم ہستی کو نشانہ بنایا جسے دنیا کی کوئی طاقت نقصان نہیں پہنچا سکتی۔ وزیراعظم نے کہا کہ ہولوکاسٹ کا ذکر نہیں ہونے دیاجاتامگرمسلمانوں کااحساس نہیں کیاجاتا، توہین رسالت کیخلاف پاکستان کا ردعمل اس کا حق ہے اور دنیا کے ہرمذہب، عقیدے اور مقدس ہستی کا احترام لازمی ہونا چاہیے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان واحد اسلامی ملک ہے جس نے سرکاری سطح پر احتجاج کیا، یہی نہیں بلکہ صدرزرداری اقوام متحدہ کی جنرل اسمبلی میں آوازاٹھائیں گے۔ وزیر اعظم نے متنبہ کیا کہ اس سلسلے کونہ روکاگیاتودنیا میں کسی ہستی کااحترام باقی نہیں رہیگا۔

Violent protests continue in twin cities

ISLAMABAD: Protests against anti-Islam film and blasphemous cartoons continued Friday morning as well where protesters took to the streets and pelted stones on the vehicles, Geo News reported. According to sources, demonstrators from the suburban areas surrounding the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi occupied the streets in Pir Wadhai area and blocked the road for traffic. The demonstrators kept on marching at IJP road and pelted stones on the moving vehicles. The angry mob also torched the toll plaza at IJP road after damaging the plaza’s cabins and signboards along the road. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan is observing Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (PBUH) today. Tens of thousands of people are expected to protest as global Muslim anger mounts over a US-made anti-Islam film and blasphemous cartoons in a French magazine. Huge crowds attempted to storm Islamabad's diplomatic enclave on Thursday, and similar demonstrations took place around the world. The government has called an impromptu public holiday on Friday - a "day of love for the prophet" -- and has urged people to protest peacefully to show their opposition to the crudely made "Innocence of Muslims" film. All of Pakistan's major political parties and religious groups have announced protests, as have many trade and transport organisations. Shops, markets and petrol stations will remain closed and transport is likely to come to a standstill, but authorities hoped there is no repeat of the violence scene on the streets of the capital on today. geo.tv

Cellular services suspended ahead of Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool

KARACHI: Mobile phone services have been suspended in 15 cities across Pakistan as a security measure to ward off any adverse incident during the observance of Youm-e-Ishqe-Rasool on Friday, as millions will hit the streets to condemn an anti-Islam film, Geo News reported.
Cellular coverage was blocked in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Jhang, Rhimyar Khan, Attock, Murree, Chakwal, Chakri, and Kot Momin.
The services will remain suspended till 6:00 PM in the evening.
Consumers, especially in the violence-prone Karachi, are suffering at the loss of connectivity for not being able to stay in touch wit their love ones.
Previously, the government had blocked the service during the Eid-ul-Fitr in a bid to keep any probable acts of terrorism at bay.for more http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=68558

The government on Wednesday announced a public holiday to observe Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (Day of Prophet Mohammad’s love) across the country on September 21 (Friday).
The decision was taken during a federal cabinet meeting held under chairmanship of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in Islamabad.

Country braces for widespread protests today

ISLAMABAD: The country, particularly the federal capital, will see yet another wave of widespread protests today (Friday) against a blasphemous film that was posted on the internet and has sparked demonstrations across the Muslim world.
All religious and political parties have given a protest call to workers and the public to march towards Islamabad from Rawalpindi and adjoining areas of the twin cities.
In light of the decision taken by the federal government, governments in the centre and provinces have announced a public holiday today (Friday) to observe “Yaum-e-Ishaq-e-Rasool (SAW)” while appealing to the masses to register peaceful protest against the condemnable blasphemous act.
The traders’ community and petroleum and CNG associations have announced shutting down their businesses and joining the protest rallies while the transporters’ association has also said that public transport will remain off the roads.
Official sources said in view of Thursday’s strong protest and clashes between protestors and police, which resulted in injuries to scores of police personnel and others, authorities concerned have decided to review security arrangements in Islamabad.
A spokesman for the Difa-e-Pakistan Council on Thursday said that the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamaatud Daawa and other religious parties would take out a rally from Aabpara Chowk after Jumma prayers to the National Press Club. He said the JI amir Syed Munawar Hassan, Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, Ejazul Haq and other leaders would lead a protest demonstration in Lahore.
Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi, amir of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, has asked people to participate in the protest demonstrations, and announced that an all parties conference would also be held in Islamabad on September 26. He also appealed to the masses to register their protest in a peaceful manner, adding that they should not damage or put on fire public property and vehicles.
The spokesman said that besides Islamabad, calls have been given for protest rallies in four provincial capitals, other major cities and Azad Kashmir.
Dr Waseem Akhtar, a senior central leader of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), said it would not be possible to cool down people all over the country unless the US ambassador was ousted from Islamabad. “The US, in the name of freedom of expression, is continuing to patronise elements that time and again commit blasphemous acts,” he said, adding that the US government should apologise to Muslims all over the world.
The PPP, PML-N, PTI, JUI-F and other parties have also announced holding protest programmes in major cities of the country.  for more http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=68555

eat healthy and exercise daily to keep Alzheimer’s away’

Psychiatric symptoms may include agitation, lack of sleep and aggressive behaviour. PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: A healthy diet and regular visits to the gym are known to ward off obesity and heart diseases, but along with an ‘active’ brain, they can also prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
People who engage in reading, playing board games, completing crossword puzzles and other intellectual activities, are less likely to develop the disease, said members of the Pakistan Society of Neurology at a press conference on Wednesday.
Dr Muhammad Wasay, the associate professor at the Aga Khan University Hospital’s (AKUH) department of neurology, said that Alzheimer’s or dementia is a neurological disease which is characterised by progressive loss of memory and social functioning.
According to the doctors, the press conference was organised because people are still not aware of the disease even though it is increasing globally. Even the general practitioners cannot catch the symptoms sometimes as they do not have sufficient information about the disorder, said Dr Wasay.
Exact data about how many patients have been diagnosed is not available in Pakistan, said Prof. Saad Shafqat, the head of neurology department at AKUH. “We can still estimate that Pakistan has the same number as India and Iran, where almost 7 per cent people above the age of 65 and around 10 to 15 per cent above the age of 80 have dementia.” But people should not make the mistake of associating the disease with ageing, clarified Shafqat.
The society plans to arrange a walk on Friday followed by a Continuing Medical Education seminar for doctors. The doctors have also recorded an 11-episode programme which will be aired on TV and posted on YouTube.
Symptoms and treatment
The inability to remember day-to-day activities are one of the early on signs of Alzheimer’s, said Dr Wasay. “The disease can be an immense social burden, as the erratic behaviour of an Alzheimer’s patient can disturb the entire family.” for more ..http://tribune.com.pk/story/439574/read-more-eat-healthy-and-exercise-daily-to-keep-alzheimers-away/

Australian experts ask SHC to order a halt on culling sheep

Experts maintain that the sheep should be tested before they are culled. PHOTO: PPI/ FILE

KARACHI: Australian experts moved the Sindh High Court on Thursday asking the court to order a halt on culling thousands of imported sheep, reported Express News.
The experts maintained that the sheep should be tested before they are culled.
The Sindh High Court has already stayed the further culling of sheep, but the practice continues despite the order.
On Wednesday, Managing Director of Australia-based livestock exporter Wellard Rural Exports Stephen Meerwald also held a press conference and demanded an independent inspection of the animals by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Meerwald added that until their findings were announced, the culling should immediately be stopped.
The importer of the sheep had earlier filed a petition and had claimed that the Islamabad-based Research and Safety Laboratory had declared the sheep as ‘clean of any disease’, and contended that the government authorities collected samples of sheep without permission.

Enforced disappearances can't be justified under any circumstance: UN group

ISLAMABAD: Pointing that no nature of national emergency could be used to justify enforced disappearances, the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on Thursday pressed the government and the judiciary to fulfill their duty to thoroughly investigate the enforced disappearances and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The group, addressing a press conference on concluding its 10-day trip said that there was a “declared will” of government in Pakistan to tackle issue of enforced disappearances but what it termed, “serious challenges remain.”
The Working Group’s head Olivier de Frouville, and Member, Osman El-Hajj acknowledged security challenges being faced by Pakistan.
However, the experts said according to the 1992 Declaration for Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearances, no circumstances whatsoever, whether a threat of war, a state of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked to justify enforced disappearances.
Frouville pointed out that there is acknowledgement that enforced disappearances have occurred and still occur in the country. He said during the visit, the Group received information on cases of enforced disappearances and studied the measures adopted by State to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances, including issues related to truth, justice and reparation for the victims of enforced disappearances.
“We note that cases continue to be reported to national authorities, but there are controversies both on figures and on the nature of practice of enforced disappearances,” he observed. To date, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances still has more than 500 cases in its docket in the entire Pakistan. They added that some sources in Balochistan gave them a figure of 14000, while the government maintains the figure of missing persons is below hundred. They noted that the number of officially registered allegations may not be reflective of the real situation, rather is an indication of the existence of the phenomenon.
Frouville though welcomed the role played by the judiciary to shed light on the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Pakistan and to trace missing persons. He said the relatives of disappeared persons have right to know the truth about fate and whereabouts of their loved ones and added it is responsibility and duty of the State to thoroughly investigate all allegations of enforced disappearances and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The US Expert underlined the need to reinforce the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, as well as to ensure the oversight and accountability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and to provide protection for victims and witnesses.
Suggesting a solution, Frouville said that one important challenge that Pakistan needs to overcome is the absence of a provision qualifying enforced disappearances as an autonomous crime, and lack of subsequent reparation measures and social assistance programmes for relatives of the disappeared.
The two members of the Working Group had held meetings with state authorities, civil society organisations and relatives of disappeared persons in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar during their ten day visit. However, a number of Pakistan officials refused to meet them including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the IG FC in Balochistan.
He said Working Group also welcomes the ratification by Pakistan of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and of the Convention against Torture. It calls on the government to ratify the Convention for the protection of all persons against enforced disappearances.
Answering a question, he said the Group undertook its visits in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation which aims at formulating constructive recommendations.
The UN Expert said the analysis of the information received during and prior to the visit will be considered in the preparation of the report which will be presented to Human Rights Council at a session in 2013.
View full text of the UN report here.

'Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh)' day: Government announces holiday on September 21

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet meeting on Wednesday has decided to observe September 21 as ‘Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh)’ day to express reverence for Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) and register the government’s protest against the recently released anti-Islam film in the US, Express News reported. 
The day has been declared as a national holiday as well.
Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, addressing the Cabinet meeting, said, “At this moment, I call upon the people of Pakistan to register their protests peacefully but to observe restraints and not to damage their own property.”
He added, “I have directed the Ministry of Information Technology to block YouTube in order to register our protest at the availability of this sacrilegious film on the website, and our demand for its immediate removal.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Ashraf suspended all agenda items on the list for today’s meeting and instead discussed ways and means to express Pakistan’s strong resentment against the film.
The controversial film has sparked protests all across the world by Muslims, protesting against the portrayal of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) in the film.
The government has recently blocked YouTube in the country after the company refused to remove the film’s trailer from the site.
Along with Pakistan, other Muslim countries, including Afghanistan  and Bangladesh have also blocked the website. In India, Youtube complied with government’s order and blocked the content.
Google said it was censoring the video in India and Indonesia after blocking it on Wednesday in Egypt and Libya.
Proposal on agreement with YouTube
The cabinet discussed a proposal for entering into an agreement with YouTube to block only the required videos on the website, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told the media after the cabinet meeting.
He added that not only the US Ambassador to Pakistan, but also the US president and ministers have strongly condemned the blasphemous film. There was also a proposal to hold a meeting of Pakistani ambassadors to discuss the issue, he said.
Kaira also supported the idea of summoning the US Ambassador to Pakistan to the Foreign Office lodge a strong protest.
‘Government to provide protection during protests’
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that special security arrangements will be made on the Ishq-e-Rasool Day on Friday and the government will provide complete protection to protests being held on that day, reported Radio Pakistan.
Chairing a high-level meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday, Malik said that no one will be allowed to take law into his own hands and damage private or public property during the protests.
He further directed the Crisis Management Cell to fully monitor the processions and directed all hospitals to stay on high alert.

Ishq-e-Rasool day: Government mulls cellular shutdown, army deployment

ISLAMABAD: With rage against the sacrilegious movie ‘Innocence of Muslims’ expected to reach its crescendo on Friday, government and security forces are bracing for a bitter showdown in the capital.
As anger against the movie is directed towards Western missions, the interior ministry is considering a complete lockdown to protect diplomatic missions in the capital, including suspension of cellular services in major cities and deployment of army and Rangers.
Thousands of demonstrators protesting against the anti-Islam movie are expected to march on to the United States embassy in Islamabad today (Friday), designated the Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) day, and declared a national holiday by the government.
Suspending cellular services
The government might order the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to suspend cellular services in some sensitive areas to foil attempted terrorist attacks on Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) day, said officials associated with the interior ministry. Cellular services are likely to be suspended in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, some areas of Balochistan, Peshawar and areas surrounding the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, the officials added.
On Thursday evening, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said “the government has not yet decided to block cellular services.”
A senior official of PTA, however, said they have been directed by the interior ministry to stay alert to implement the order of suspending cellular services.
Deploying the Army
“Army and Rangers have been put on alert for the security of the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad,” said Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
“The move aims to protect foreign missions, particularly the US embassy in Islamabad,” a spokesperson of Interior Ministry quoted Malik as saying. The deliberations to put the Army and Rangers on “alert” came after the capital police faced troubles in controlling demonstrators on Thursday.
Malik said the interior ministry had successfully convinced clerics to observe a peaceful Ishq-e-Rasool (pbuh) day.
Intelligence reports, however, suggest that protests may turn violent on Friday as hardcore clerics have planned to force their way into the diplomatic enclave after clashing with the police, a senior official associated with the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) told The Express Tribune.
Demonstrators, the report suggests, can also target other diplomatic missions located in residential areas of the federal capital, the official added.
Embassies cancel activities
The Unites States, meanwhile, has directed its staff in Pakistan to avoid any non-essential travel to other cities.
“The US Embassy and consulates in Pakistan will be closed on Friday due to the national holiday,” said an official statement by US Embassy on Thursday night. Other foreign missions have also cancelled their activities on Friday. The German mission has canceled a jazz concert on Friday.
Banned outfits
As protesters head to the capital, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Interior Minister Rehman Malik hit out at the Punjab government for letting activists of banned outfits to march on to Islamabad.
“Stop sending banned outfits’ activists from Punjab to the capital,” Malik said.
Kaira appealed to the Punjab government to not let protesters enter Islamabad, particularly from Muree and Rawalpindi.
Chief Commissioner Islamabad, meanwhile, has cancelled the government-announced holiday on Friday for all district and police officers.
Police Inspector General Bani Amin said no one would be allowed entry into red zone without proper documentation to prove their purpose of visit. He said the rally participants would not be stopped from protesting, but they would not be allowed to create a law and order situation.
Cycle race cancelled
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has announced cancellation of an international mountain bike race that was scheduled to be held at the Kaghan valley on Friday (today), in protest against the anti-Islam film.
‘Tour of Himalayas 2012’ was meant to be a fundraiser for the Kaghan Memorial Trust (KMT), a non-governmental organisation that launched schools for the earthquake-hit communities of the valley after 2005.
The three-day event was to include participants from different countries.
K-P Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah, on Thursday, said the event was cancelled not due to any threats faced by the contestants, but to register their protest against the sacrilegious film.
With additional input from Umar Nangiana in Islamabad and Muhammad Sadaqat in Haripur.