PESHAWAR, Sept 15: Several rallies were taken out in Peshawar on Saturday for the third consecutive day to protest the making of a sacrilegious film produced in the US against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

Major among them were those staged by National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony and Fata Students Federation outside Peshawar Press Club.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-US slogans, protesters burnt old tyres and blocked the road. They also expressed annoyance against the US by walking on its flag and burning it down.

Protesters shouted slogans against Americans and Jews and pressed the government for severing diplomatic ties with the US.

They said Pakistan came into being in the name of Islam but the ruling elite had turned it into a US colony. They also criticised the government for supporting the US-led war on terror, saying it killed innocent Pakistanis both in the settled and tribal regions.

Protesters said on one hand, Americans were killing innocent people in Pakistan’s tribal areas by drone attacks and on the other, they were hurting their religious sentiments by releasing sacrilegious film on social media.

National Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony Chairman Maulana Shoaib said the film was made to anger Muslims across the world.

Christians and Hindus also took part in the protest.

Similarly, Jamiat Ittehadul Ulema staged a demonstration outside the press club and set on fire the US flag over the sacrilegious film. Former MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali led protesters.

Activists of Pakistan Rahi Haq Party also gathered on Sher Shah Suri Road in large numbers to condemn the said film.

Leading protesters, former MPA Mohammad Ibrahim Qasmi asked the government to block Nato supply routes in the country.

Meanwhile, Tajir Ittehad Peshawar has also announced that traders will stage a sit-in outside the US consulate in the provincial capital to express anger at the making and release of the sacrilegious film.

Head of the traders’ body Khalid Ayub said schedule for the protest would be announced later after consultation.

Also in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council protested the making of the sacrilegious film and announced to observe ‘black day’ tomorrow (Monday).

The general body of the council met here with vice-chairman Fazal Tawab Khan in the chair.

It unanimously passed a resolution pushing the US government for arresting and punishing the filmmaker and other relevant people.

Participants decided that lawyers would boycott all courts in the province on Monday.

They said lawyers across the province would hoist black flags on the premises of courts and hold meetings to condemn the making of the sacrilegious film.

Participants also asked lawyers to stage a protest on the matter.

They accused the US government of encouraging production of offensive and sacrilegious films and condemned it.