Pakistan calm a day after anti-Islam film protests

Pakistan limped back to normalcy on Saturday, a day after blood clashes left 23 people dead and 200 others wounded following fierce protests over an anti-Islam film.

Protests took place across the country on Friday against a US-made film and French cartoons mocking Islam that has triggered angry demonstrations around the world.

Karachi bore a deserted look Saturday morning. The port city had seen violence on Friday that left at least 12 people dead.

Other cities resumed normalcy, Geo News reported.

There was thin traffic in Karachi while the routes leading to the US consulate were still blocked. Hotels and shops were also closed.

Business activities resumed in other cities across the country including Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.

Though blockades were removed from the routes leading to the US Consulate in Lahore, tight security was in place around the US Consulate in Peshawar.

Dawn reported that at least 23 people were killed and over 200 injured and violence in some places which continued till late in the night.

Tens of thousands of protestors were on the streets in several cities, from Peshawar and Islamabad to Lahore and Karachi. They burnt down shops, set ablaze cinema houses and torched police vehicles.

Describing it as a day of complete anarchy in several cities, the daily said the protests left a trail of death and destruction in large parts of the country.