ISLAMABAD - Pakistan celebrated the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed on Friday with mass nationwide rallies, as President Pervez Musharraf urged his countrymen to shun terrorism and extremism.
Hundreds of thousands of people, many wearing Arab dress and reciting hymns, paraded through the streets adorned with banners placards and bunting in major cities and towns across the mainly Muslim nation of 150 million people.
All government and private offices as well as markets remained closed on the day, declared a public holiday by the government. Celebrations included hymn reciting competitions and seminars on the life and teachings of the Prophet.
Musharraf, in Indonesia for an Asian-African summit, repeated a favourite theme in a message to the nation by telling of the need to make Pakistan a moderate, enlightened country.
As true Muslims "we owe the responsibility to make Pakistan a real Islamic welfare state... and purge society of the menaces like sectarianism, terrorism and communal confrontation," he said.
Newspapers published special supplements and radio and television also broadcast special documentaries and debates.
Police were out in force across the country as a precautionary measure aimed at preventing any trouble.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told a conference marking the annual festivities that Islam was a religion of peace and moderation.
Mohammed's life was a "beacon, guiding us in every aspect of life as it fully embodies the teachings of Islam."
The Prophet Mohammed was born in present-day Saudi Arabia around 571 AD on the 12th day of the Rabi-ul-Awal month of the Islamic calendar.
04/22/2005 14:54 GMT