Pakistan Islamists rally over cartoons

Thousands of Islamists in Pakistan have launched a march to protest over a far-right Dutch politician’s plans to hold a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest later this year.

Pakistan’s newly elected government has denounced the contest, calling it an attempt to defame Islam.

Physical depictions of God or the prophet, even positive ones, are forbidden in Islam and considered deeply offensive.

The protest was organised by Islamist groups that made surprising gains in Pakistan’s July elections.

An estimated 10,000 protesters took part in the march, chanting “we will die to protect the honour of the prophet”.

The protesters refused demands from authorities to confine their rally to the eastern city of Lahore, where it began. They are expected to reach Islamabad on Thursday.

The cartoon contest is being organised by Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician with a history of incendiary remarks about Islam.