Three killed as Pak. protests continue

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 9. At least three persons are said to have been killed and several others injured in a police shoot-out in the city of Quetta, capital of Baluchistan, as aggressive anti-U.S. demonstrators took to the streets to vent their anger against the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

However, much to the relief of the Musharraf Government, battling the hardliners opposed to its policy of co- operation with the U.S. in its fight against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban militia, there were no reports of any untoward incidents from other parts of the country.

There were certainly no strident protests like the one witnessed on Monday in different parts of Pakistan. Demonstrations and rallies continued in protest against the U.S. air raids but they were by and large peaceful.

Part of the reason for the relative calm today could be the decision of the Government to put three prominent Pakistani religious leaders under house arrest. These included the leaders of two factions of the Jamait-e-Ulema Islami (JUI), Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Samiul Haq.

Gen. Musharraf also sent out a stern message to the pro-Taliban leaders and supporters. He met a group of minority leaders and sought to explain the rationale behind his Government's decision to side with the U.S. He said Islam advocated moderation and peaceful co-existence. ``In an Islamic society there is no room for extremism and violence against any other religion or group.''

Gen. Musharraf told the leaders, ``It is regrettable that a small group of people are unable to distinguish between what is in Pakistan's interest and what is in the interest of its adversaries... But the overwhelming majority are fully aware of our supreme national interests and they are supporting the policies of the Government following the events of September 11.''

Taking the cue from the recent U.S. move to freeze the funds of organisations having links with Osama and his Al-Qaeda outfit, Pakistan is said to have asked its intelligence agencies to gear up for a similar operation. The agencies would identify and curb the sources of funding to the local sectarian outfits which were largely blamed for the internal violence.

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Section  : International
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