LAHORE, Oct 12: Against apprehensions of violence, Lahore remained calm on Friday. The city witnessed only a couple of anti-America rallies after the Juma prayers which too were peaceful.

The 26-member religious parties Pak-Afghan Defence Council which has so far been holding main rallies in Lahore had announced that there would be no central procession on Friday. But it had given a call for processions from all the city mosques after the Juma prayers.

Keeping in view the call the administration had, like in the rest of the country, taken extraordinary measures to guard against violence.

Special attention was given to a mosque, Jamia Manzoorul Islamia, in the Saddar area from which pro-Taliban religious workers were expected to take out a rally after the Friday prayers.

Police were posted at all sensitive places in the city early in the morning. In anti-riot gear, the police were also seen on almost all the city streets looking out for any trouble throughout the day.

But unlike the announcement by the Pak-Afghan Defence Council most ulema and khateeb expressed their anti-America sentiments only in their Juma sermons, condemning it for attacking Afghanistan and what they said killing innocent people there.

They also criticized the government policy towards the issue and asked it to start supporting Afghans instead of America which they termed the biggest terrorist on earth.

A group of faithfuls gathered outside Masjid-i-Shuhada after the Friday prayers and raised anti-America slogans. Later, they marched up to the Faisal Square from where returned to the mosque while raising slogans against America.

A procession was taken out from the Jamia Manzoorul Islam, Saddar, which was led by Pir Saifullah Khalid, Javed Siddiqui and others who lashed out at America for attacking Afghanistan. They termed the attack an offensive against Islam and condemned the killing of innocent Afghan people.

The participants who carried placards burnt an effigy of the American president.