French embassy advises citizens to leave Pakistan

French nationals and companies in Pakistan were advised by their embassy Thursday to temporarily leave after violent anti-France protests paralysed large parts of the country. Anti-French sentiment has been simmering for months in Pakistan since the government of President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for a satirical magazine's right to republish cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed -- deemed blasphemous by many Muslims. On Thursday the Pakistan government banned an extremist political party whose leader had called for a march on the capital to demand the expulsion of the French ambassador. Saad Rizvi, leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), was detained hours after the Tuesday call, bringing thousands of his supporters onto the streets in cities across the country. "Due to the serious threats to French interests in Pakistan, French nationals and French companies are advised to temporarily leave the country," the embassy said in an email Thursday to French citizens. "The departures will be carried out by existing commercial airlines."<br/>