Rawalpindi, Pakistan ? Thousands of people on Friday took to the streets of Rawalpindi and other Pakistani cities to protest the government’s offensive against suspected Islamic militants in tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan.

Thousands of Pakistanis rally in the street in Rawalpindi against the government, President Pervez Mushara, and on-going military operations against al-Qaida. Also Friday, Pakistan condemned a statement purportedly by al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri, saying he was trying to damage Islam.

The demonstrations came the day after a tape purportedly from a leader of al-Qaida called for overthrowing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf because of the offensive. But the protests had been slated before the tape was made public, and demonstrators said it hadn’t influenced their participation.

About 2,000 to 3,000 protesters clogged streets in downtown Rawalpindi, shouting “Musharraf is a dog” and “Death to Bush, death to Blair,” referring to President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hundreds of riot police stood by, but the protesters remained orderly.

There also were demonstrations in Karachi, Peshawar and Lahore. There were no protests in Islamabad, the capital, but the number of military checkpoints manned by heavily armed soldiers was increased.

The demonstrations, which police characterized as relatively large for Pakistan, show Musharraf has yet to achieve a balance between aiding the United States in pursuing al-Qaida fighters and not alienating Pakistanis, many of whom see the U.S.-led war on terrorism as an assault on Islam.

The stalemate between Pakistani troops and suspected militants continued Friday despite a Thursday deadline for their surrender.