Pakistan rally ends after Dutch cartoon contest is cancelled

Thousands of Pakistan's hard-line Islamists have called off their rally after reaching near Islamabad following the cancellation of a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest by a Dutch anti-Muslim lawmaker.

The far-right opposition politician Geert Wilders said yesterday he canceled the cartoon contest following death threats and concerns other people could be put at risk.

The decision prompted Khadim Hussain Rizvi, a firebrand Pakistani cleric, to end his march today. It began on Wednesday from the eastern city of Lahore.

Rizvi had planned to stage a sit-in to force the Pakistani government to sever diplomatic ties with the Netherlands over the contest.

Physical depictions of the prophet are forbidden in Islam and deeply offensive to Muslims.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)