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More Than 10,000 Protest Bush's Arrival Across Pakistan
Friday, March 03, 2006

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Anti-U.S. protests erupted across Pakistan on Friday, with crowds burning American flags, chanting "Death to Bush" and scuffling with police shortly before the U.S. president was to arrive for a two-day visit.

Police in the southern city of Karachi used tear gas and batons to stop about 1,000 demonstrators from marching on the U.S. Consulate, witnesses said. The stone-throwing crowd came within 200 yards from the building.

Hundreds of police just outside the capital, Islamabad, swung batons as they dispersed about 1,000 protesters on a major road in the city of Rawalpindi, about five miles from where President Bush's plane was expected to land.

Some demonstrators chanted "Killer go back" and "Death to America" during the 30-minute protest. One protester had a bloody forehead, and police stuffed at least five others into a van, an AP photographer on the scene said.

The demonstrators were supporters of the Imamia Students Organization, a Shiite Muslim group. Some trampled on the U.S. flag, while others carried Bush portraits with his face crossed out in red.

In Chaman, a southwestern town on the Afghan border, between 4,000 and 5,000 people protested peacefully, according to an estimate by an Associated Press reporter. They shouted, "Go Back Bush! Bush, Dog!" and "God is Great!"

About 300 university students rallied in Islamabad, burning an effigy of Bush. Some carried signs that said, "Go back, go back big Satan Bush."

Javed Rahman, one of the protesters, said, "We are protesting against the coming of Bush because we hate him. He is the killer of so many innocent people, so many innocent Muslims."

About 1,000 Islamists also rallied in the southern city of Karachi, the country's largest city. They torched U.S. flags and chanted, "Pakistani nation wants head of Bush!"

Pakistan promised ironclad security for Bush's visit, with one official saying hundreds of army commandos and paramilitary troops would be patrolling the capital.

"We have made foolproof arrangements for the safe stay of President Bush and we do not think there will be any problem," said Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, a senior Interior Ministry official who also coordinates with U.S. authorities on counterterrorism issues.

A deadly explosion Thursday was a chilling reminder of the security risks in this volatile country. A suicide bomber rammed his car into an American diplomat's vehicle in the southern city of Karachi, killing the envoy and his Pakistani driver. A paramilitary guard and an unidentified woman also died and more than 50 were injured.