Thousands protest Charlie Hebdo Mohammed cartoon in Pakistan, Russia bans publication

Demonstrators clashed with police in the Pakistani city of Karachi as protests against Charlie Hebdo’s Mohammed front page hit several of the country’s cities. A press photographer was seriously injured.

Demonstrators in Karachi on Friday condemn Charlie Hebdo's publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed Reuters/Mohsin Raza

Protesters clashed with police who blocked access to the French consulate in Karachi, firing warning shots and using water-cannon and teargas to disperse the crowd.

Asif Hassan, 38, a photographer for the AFP news agency, was hit by a bullet and seriously injured and a TV cameraman and a police officer were lightly wounded.

Demonstrations also took place in Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Multan, where a French flag was burnt.

Pakistan’s parliament unanimously passed a resolution condemning “blasphemous caricatures” in the first Charlie Hebdo to appear since two armed Islamists attacked its offices, killing 12 people and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif slammed the decision to print them.

Qatar's government also condemned the cartoons on Friday, claiming that they spread "hatred and anger".

Russia’s media watchdog on Frday warned publications not to print cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.

"The publication in Russian media of such caricatures go against ethical and moral norms worked out over centuries," said the media and communications watchdog Roskomnadzor.

"Disseminating caricatures on religious themes in the media can be considered insulting or humiliating to the representatives of religious confessions and groups, and qualified as inciting ethnic and relgious hatred", which is an offence under Russian law, it said.