On Friday, thousands of Pakistanis are said to hit the streets in order to find expression for the mounting rage against Facebook and the West over blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on the Internet.

"Everyone Draw Mohammed Day" contest was prepared by a user of Facebook in order to support "freedom of expression", motivated by an American woman cartoonist, but gave back a major hostile response in the conservative Muslim nation of 170 million.

It is said that it is severely banned by Islam to portray any prophet as sacrilegious.

Access to Facebook, YouTube and more than 450 links have been prohibited by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA).

Numerous students and Islamic activitists have hit the streets in the cities of Pakistan and after the main Muslim weekly prayers later on Friday and religious parties are planning for bigger protests.

Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Rawalpindi will also take out rallies. Jamaat-ud Dawa, widely regarded as a militant group leader responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks is also expected to take part.

After being blocked, Facebook disappointedly said that it was in view of whether to make the felonious page remote in Pakistan.

YouTube, the Google-owned video-sharing site is said to be trying to make sure that the service is reinstated soon.

The cartoons on Facebook was condemned by Pakistan and said that "such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the feelings of Muslims around the world".