ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Thousands of religious activists attended processions and meetings held across the country on Friday in protest against last week’s sectarian violence in Rawalpindi, amid unusually tight security in major cities.

Schools, shops and restaurants were closed in Rawalpindi while roads were deserted also in Islamabad. Police blocked certain roads in the two cities with containers and sealed approaches to the diplomatic enclave housing foreign embassies.

Police, Rangers and army soldiers were deployed in major cities and towns, including Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Multan.

In Rawalpindi, Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, who heads Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), said: “We know how to fight enemies of Islam and we are fighting them.”

In Quetta, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Ideological) and ASWJ separately took out processions to condemn the Rawalpindi riots. All trading centres, shopping plazas and business establishments were closed in the city and suburbs.

Addressing protest rallies after Juma prayers, Maulana Abdul Qadir Luni of JUI-I and Maulana Muhammad Ramzan Mengal of ASWJ said the torching of a mosque was a great sin and no Muslim could do that. They alleged that the enemies of Islam were promoting differences among various sects and fanning hatred.

Speakers demanded immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the Rawalpindi riots.

In Karachi, about 15,000 people attended an ASWJ rally and raised slogans against the government and rival sects. All shops, restaurants and petrol stations in the city remained closed and roads were deserted amid a heavy deployment of police and paramilitary troops, a reporter said.

Several Shia organisations also held demonstrations in different areas of the city on Friday. Major events were held outside mosques in Kharadar, Nazimabad, Malir, Abbas Town and North Karachi.

The protests were organised by Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen, Jafria Alliance, Imamia Students Organisation and Shia Action Committee. Leaders of the organisations demanded a judicial commission to probe the Rawalpindi tragedy and attacks on Imambargahs across the country.

In Punjab, religious parties took out peaceful processions and organised gatherings in mosques. ASWJ, JUI-S and Jamaat-i-Islami jointly held demonstrations in Lahore and other cities in the province.

JUI-F, Jamaatud Dawa, Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen held separate meetings and adopted resolutions condemning the Rawalpindi carnage and calling for peace and harmony.