Protesters in Pakistan demand expulsion of French ambassador as Charlie Hebdo sells out latest edition

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of Islamist political factions in Pakistan on Friday rallied against a French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, for republishing sacrilegious images of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and demanded immediate expulsion of the French ambassador from the country.
The protest demonstrations were organized in various cities by groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Sunni Tehreek and Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen.
The participants of the rally said they would not tolerate “blasphemous acts” against their religion, adding that the publication of controversial sketches was yet another manifestation of Islamophobia in the guise of free speech and expression.
Charlie Hebdo, a satirical weekly publication, was attacked by Islamist gunmen in 2015 after it published anti-Islam images that offended a large number of Muslims and led to widespread protests.
The publication printed the same material again as a court began to try some people who allegedly facilitated the attack.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday denounced the magazine’s decision to republish the sketches, pointing out in a video message that such caricatures hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world.
Meanwhile, the magazine’s management announced on Friday that its latest edition had sold out in just one day, and a new batch of 200,000 copies would hit newstands on Saturday.