The third day of violence started by the cartoons of Prophet Mohammed published in a European newspaper was marked in Pakistan by the death of three people and the vandalizing of American fast-food restaurants and banks.

At the demonstration more than 20 000 people participated, among which students, Islamist radicals and traders. 5 000 police and military forces were called in order to prevent the violence which has swept the country.

Two people died in Peshawar, namely an eight-year-old boy killed by a bullet fired in the air and a man struck by an electric cable, and another one was killed in Lahore, in a clash with police. While burning Danish flags, the country where the caricatures were first published, the protesters shouted "God's curse be on those who insulted the prophet" and "God is Great!".

Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and visiting Afghan President Hamid Karzai pleaded the Western and European nations to ban the cartoons which insult their religious beliefs. In consequence, the European Union condemned both of the cartoons because they incite to violence.

Afghanistan holds the record for the most violent outbreaks, where 11 people died last week. The protesters' main targets are multi-national companies as KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and Citibank.

Pervez Musharraf demanded for peaceful protests and stated that all instigators found responsible for the violence will be harshly punished.