About 350 protesters clashed on Friday with Pakistani police outside the French consulate in Karachi, after a demonstration against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo turned violent.

At least three people were injured, including an AFP photographer who was shot in the back.

"Three injured were brought to the hospital, two were minor injuries and one photographer was serious," Seemi Jamali said, a spokeswoman for the city's main Jinnah hospital, referring to AFP's Asif Hassan.

"The bullet struck his lung, and passed through his chest. He is out of immediate danger and he has spoken to his colleagues," she added. The others injured were a policeman and a local TV cameraman who were discharged after receiving first aid treatment.

Police said Hassan and the other journalist did not appear to have been deliberately targeted but were caught in crossfire when protesters shot at the police.

The protesters, who belong to the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami religious party, threw stones at police and fired shots after security forces used water cannon and tear gas. Pakistani Islamic political organizations are holding nationwide rallies against the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical weekly.

After the clashes, the protesters, mainly students, retreated to a nearby area but refused to leave, as police blocked access to the French consulate.

In the north-western city of Peshawar and the central town of Multan French flags were burnt on the streets. Rallies were also held in the capital Islamabad and the eastern city of Lahore.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the cartoons, which many Muslims consider offensive.

The government has deployed police and troops to protect official buildings in all major cities, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan said. Troops from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary force are also guarding the French embassy, which is inside a walled diplomatic enclave in the capital Islamabad.

jil/ng (Reuters, AFP, dpa)