Charlie Hebdo Protests In Pakistan: Journalist Shot As Protesters Clash With Police In Karachi

An Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist was shot Friday while covering protests in Karachi, Pakistan, over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The photographer, Asif Hassan, was shot in the chest during clashes between demonstrators and local police.

"The bullet struck his lung, and passed through his chest. He is out of immediate danger and he has spoken to his colleagues," Dr. Seemi Jamali, a spokeswoman for Karachi's Jinnah Hospital, where Hassan was taken, told AFP.

Police reportedly fired in the air and used tear gas to control unruly crowds outside the French consulate in Karachi. Protests turned violent as clashes broke out between police and nearly 200 demonstrators belonging to the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami political group, which is reportedly holding nationwide protests condemning Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the prophet, which are regarded by Muslims as offensive.

Three people associated with the group were also admitted to the hospital after they were affected by tear gas, Dawn reported, adding that another journalist had also been injured during the clashes.

Businesses in the area were reportedly shut down while a nearby street was cordoned off because of the protests, which came a day after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif joined the country's parliament in denouncing the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.