Armed members of a hard-line Islamist organization clashed with Pakistani security forces near the northeastern city of Lahore on Wednesday during a protest over a French newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad, killing four police officers and injuring hundreds.
The violence erupted outside the capital city of Punjab province, as members of the proscribed Islamist organization Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan planned to march on the national capital, Islamabad. According to Usman Buzdar, Punjab's Chief Minister, more than 250 people were hurt in the clash, and those responsible will face "severe punishment."
According to authorities, the Islamists were equipped with automatic firearms and opened fire on security forces attempting to calm the gathering.
It is the most recent of the group's fatal protests in Pakistan since French President Emmanuel Macron honored a teacher murdered in France last year after showing class cartoons depicting Muhammad.
The cartoons, some of which appeared in a Danish newspaper, were first published in 2006 by the French satirical daily Charlie Hebdo. Last year, the title reprinted them to commemorate the start of a trial in connection with a deadly attack on its Paris office in 2015 by two gunmen who claimed allegiance to al-Qaeda. Twelve persons were slain, including nine journalists from the newspaper.
Many Muslims consider images of the prophet to be blasphemous, and the demand for "reform" of Islam by Paris last year triggered demonstrations around the Muslim world. Demonstrators in Pakistan have called for the expulsion of France's ambassador and the release of Tehrik-e-leader, Labbaik, who was arrested earlier this year.
A request for comment to the French embassy in Islamabad was not immediately returned.
Tehrik-e-Labbaik has been named a prohibited organization by Prime Minister Imran Khan's administration, which considers it a militant organization rather than a political institution. According to analysts, the group has gained widespread support by exploiting incredibly active topics such as blasphemy against the prophet.
According to Reuters, three police officers were slain in a separate battle with Tehrik-e-Labbaik members last week. Pakistan's Interior Ministry has since ordered the deployment of paramilitary Rangers under anti-terrorism legislation. The Islamist group's supporters have vowed to keep protesting Islamabad, which is more than 200 miles away from Lahore.
Senior police official Rao Sardar Ali Khan told reporters Wednesday that the government will not allow the extreme organization to "sabotage" law and order, adding that the killed cops were also "lovers of our Prophet, Muhammad."
According to Reuters, authorities have positioned shipping containers along the major highway to Islamabad to restrict entry and exit routes to regions.
