THE Pakistan government is to declare Friday a national holiday in honour of Prophet Mohammed, officials say, in response to a US-made film deemed insulting to Islam.

The cabinet decided to make Friday an official "day of expression of love for the prophet" after discussing the Innocence of Muslims movie, which has triggered more than a week of violent protests across the Islamic world, a senior government official told AFP.

The decision was taken as up to 500 Pakistani lawyers managed to break through a gate to Islamabad's heavily-guarded diplomatic enclave on Wednesday in a fresh protest to denounce an American-made anti-Islam film.

Wearing headbands inscribed with "Lovers of Prophet, Death to the blasphemer, America's friends are traitors", the protesters chanted slogans including "We are ready to sacrifice our lives to safeguard honour of the prophet".

More than 200 riot police armed with batons and shields stood guard as the lawyers broke through the first of two gates leading to the enclave, which contains most Western embassies in the Pakistani capital.

The lawyers halted at the second gate, where their leaders delivered fiery speeches against the US, urging the Pakistan government to expel the American ambassador and break its "criminal silence" over the film.

A US flag was laid on the ground and the protesting lawyers walked over it one by one. Later they burned the flag.