Anti-American sentiment has been rampant in Pakistan since last week's agreement to re-open routes for US-led NATO troops to take their military supplies through the country to Afghanistan. And never more so on Monday, as thousands of supporters of hard-line Islamists took to the streets of the capital Islamabad - in the largest protest of its kind so far - to voice their anger over the government's decision to let America back in.

It's a cash saver for NATO – it was costing them an extra $100m a month (that's just over £64m) to go across longer routes - and of course, it means more work for the beleaguered Pakistani truck drivers, but many believe it's bad decision for the country. Shops shut down early and police officers prepared themselves by establishing barricades and road cordons as people headed to the centre of the rally from all around in buses, cars and motorbikes.

The Defence of Pakistan Council organised it all – they're the umbrella for 40 religious political parties and organisations who want to break ties between the US and India. The rallying cry in Gujar Khan, en route to the capital, came from the controversial leader of militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hafiz Saeed - a man suspected of being the brains behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. America has a $10m (£6m) bounty for information leading to his arrest or conviction but he's a free agent in Pakistan. He said: "….At this point in time, we cannot accept the resumption of (NATO) supplies, of sending arms to NATO and American forces and the mass killing of Muslims. We cannot put up with the drone attacks any more. In fact the presence of America and its allies in this region cannot be tolerated anymore"

The march ended peacefully last night but there's no doubt – with the results of a study last month from the American think-tank, Pew Research Center, showing that 75% of Pakistanis believe the US is an enemy - this won't be the last we see of anti-US protests like these.