Pakistan on alert for Muslim festival

Pakistan's mosques and embassies are tightly guarded

Security has been stepped up across Pakistan for the annual Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha to prevent violence that has marred previous years.

Mullahs and militant leaders led prayers for the festival of sacrifice under the eyes of police and paramilitaries.

Muslims in Indian-administered Kashmir marked Eid by praying for peace in the divided region and for friendship between India and Pakistan.

In Bangladesh, clerics led prayers asking for the people of Iraq to be spared war.

Jamali's message

Authorities in Pakistan put bomb squads on alert and increased security at key installations, mosques and foreign missions.

Reverence and regard for sacrifice awakens the potential in human beings that rescues them from faltering from the right path

Mir Zafarullah Jamali

They fear extremists might use the festival to stage attacks to try to undermine the government.

Violence has erupted in the past between extremist Sunni and Shia Muslim groups and in attacks on Pakistani Christians.

The three-day festival began on Tuesday, but the traditional slaughtering of animals that celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son is held on Wednesday.

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali offered prayers and delivered an Eid message.

"Reverence and regard for sacrifice awakens the potential in human beings that rescues them from faltering from the right path, even when faced with most trying of adversities," he said.

In Srinagar, prayers were for peace in Kashmir

In Lahore, 100,000 worshippers crammed into the 16th century Badshahi mosque, the largest of a dozen congregations in the city.

At the city's Gaddafi Stadium, the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Toiba movement of Kashmiri militants, Hafiz Saeed, led 10,000 people in prayer.

Mr Saeed was released from jail in November.

In Karachi, Shah Ahmad Noorani, president of the right-wing Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance, led 2,000 worshippers in prayers, urging Muslims to unite against the United States and Britain to defend Iraq.

Dampened

In Bangladesh, a cleric led special morning mass prayers in Dhaka's Gulshan diplomatic area, calling for peace and harmony.

Indian Muslims celebrate Eid in Delhi

"Please help the people of Iraq; that they are spared from war ... We also seek your help for the people of Palestine," he said.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, festivities were dampened by the row between Islamabad and Delhi that led to an expulsion of diplomats.

Many Muslims were praying for normal relations between the nations.

"I urged Allah to change the hearts of Indian and Pakistani leaders so that the two nations could become friends," said businessman Mohammed Yasin.

Mr Yasin was one of about 30,000 Muslims who attended Eid prayers at the main mosque in Srinagar.

In his Eid sermon, leading cleric and separatist Molvi Umar Farooq urged India to give up "intransigence" and work towards resolving the five-decade-long Kashmir dispute.