Friday, February 24 2006 18:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistani police detained 70 workers from an alliance of Islamic parties ahead of nationwide protests against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed today (Feb 24,2006), a spokesman for the coalition said.

Thousands of paramilitary troops and police also patrolled major cities to prevent a repeat of last week's violent anti-Western riots in Pakistan which left five people dead.

Police raided seized 50 party members in overnight raids on their homes in the capital Islamabad, said Shahid Shamsi of the hardline Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), or United Action Forum.

"Police are still raiding various places to arrest more workers," Shamsi told sources.

Another 20 workers were seized in Lahore, MMA chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said from the headquarters in the eastern city of Pakistan's largest religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami.

"We will hold peaceful protests in more than 100 mosques in Lahore after Friday prayers against the blasphemous cartoons," Ahmad said.

The demonstrations called by the fundamentalist alliance are the latest in a series following the publication of the caricatures in Danish and European newspapers.

Analyts say Pakistan's Islamic and opposition parties are using the cartoon issue as a stick with which to beat pro-US military leader President Pervez Musharraf, who has led a crackdown on extremism.

"It is a nationwide protest. Prayer leaders in their sermons will condemn the sacrilegious act committed by the Danish cartoonists," said Liaquat Baloch, a senior MMA leader.