Pakistan seals off capital as anti-France protests widen

Pakistan authorities have sealed off a major road into the capital Islamabad for a second day as a religious party held fresh anti-France protests.

A rally in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi which attracted up to 5,000 people on Sunday spilled over into Monday, with around a thousand protesters gathered at the roadblock preventing them from entering the capital.

The march was organised by the supporters of a religious group, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (or TLP).

Using barbed wires and containers, security forces blocked all major thoroughfares leading to the capital as the protesters planned to march towards the French embassy.

Commuters faced lengthy delays on alternative routes into the city.

Mobile phone services were restored around lunchtime, after being suspended for more than 24 hours to prevent rally organisers from coordinating with each other.

Clashes with police 

Videos circulating on social media showed protesters pelting stones on the police, who in return hurled teargas shells and used water cannons to disperse them.

“Situation has turned violent here,” Ijaz Ahmed, an Islamabad-based journalist, told Anadolu Agency by telephone.

"Intermittent clashes are still continuing as security forces are trying to hold off the charged protesters using teargas and water cannons," he added.

READ MORE: French politics feeds off Muslim bashing and Islamophobia

Macron's anti-Islam remarks

Pakistan has seen small and scattered protests over the past few weeks in response to French President Emmanuel Macron's recent remarks against Islam.

The French president has said Islam "was in crisis" and also defended publishing of insulting caricatures of Prophet Mohammed by a notorious French magazine. 

All depictions of the Prophet are forbidden by Islam.

Earlier this month, Macron accused French Muslims of "separatism" and described Islam as "a religion in crisis all over the world."

READ MORE: 'France shows its hypocrisy after censoring cartoon of its own minister'

'Systematic Islamophobic campaign'

Macron's comments triggered anger across the Muslim world, with tens of thousands in Pakistan, neighbouring Iran, and other Muslim countries in South Asia flooding the streets and organising anti-French boycotts.

Pakistan has lodged a complaint with France over what it called a "systematic Islamophobic campaign" in the European nation.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has accused the French president of attacking the Muslim faith and urged Islamic countries to work together to counter what he called growing repression in Europe.