October 10, 2001	Wednesday	Rajab 22, 1422

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QUETTA, Oct 9: Three people, including a teenager, were killed and nine others were injured, two of them critically, as police opened fire on a protest demonstration of Afghan refugees, who attacked the police station in Kuchlak, some 20 km from north of Quetta, on Tuesday.

The Afghan refugees formed a procession to register their protest against the US air strikes on Afghanistan during which many incidents of violence reported.

“Some people from the unruly mob fired on the police and wounded a policeman, Jamil Ahmed, in retaliation the police opened fire killing three people, including a teenager,” an eye witness told this correspondent.

The protesters also ransacked a branch of the Muslim Commercial Bank, Railway station, a post office, and attacked many vehicles and also manhandled shopkeepers.

The Railway station was also set on fire compelling the Pakistan Railways to suspend the train service between Quetta and Chaman till the damages were repaired.

According to official sources, the Afghan refugees also robbed a post office, took away cash and other valuables in the attack as some of them were heavily armed.

STRIKE OBSERVED: A strike was observed in the city and other townships of Balochistan on the second consecutive day on Tuesday against the United States air attacks.

All shops, business centres, shopping plazas and business establishments remained closed throughout the day in response to the strike call given by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam central leadership.

However, hotels, medical stores and bread plants were allowed to continue their business without any interruption. In some areas where complete shutter down was observed the other day, shops and bazars remained opened.

The traffic was not affected and all kinds of vehicles including local buses and other official and private vehicles were plying on the roads

The JUI Quetta held a protest public meeting at Sadiq Shaheed football ground condemning the US forces attack on Afghanistan. Maulana Noor Mohammad presided over the meeting.

The public meeting adopted various resolutions urging the people to strongly react against allowing the use of Pakistan’s air space by Musharraf government to US Air Force for attacking on Afghanistan. The JUI leaders while speaking at the public meeting condemned the violent incidents in the Provincial capital and said that JUI and its workers have noting to do with such acts.

RCD Highway: The main RCD Highway was blocked for more than two hour as hundreds of people staged an Anti-US demonstration here in Hub on Tuesday morning, Our Correspondent adds from Hub

Holding flags of their parties, placards and banners inscribed with slogans against US and the government policies the protesters marched through the main RCD Highway chanting slogans against the attack on Afghanistan.

During the protest rally the business activities of the entire Hub were suspended as almost 70 per cent of the shops of Hub remain closed for about four hours.

The demonstration led by Amir Jamiat Ulema-I- Islam, Lasbela, Maulana Ghulam Qadir Qasimi, was started around 10:30am and after having marched on the main roads and streets ended at Mondra Chowk on Main RCD Highway where the leaders addressed the gathering.

The protesters set on fire the effigies of President Bush and Gen Musharraf but unexpectedly remained peaceful during the procession. Heavy contingent of police and other law enforcement agencies were present at the occasion.

Addressing the gathering Maulana Ghulam Qadir Qasimi, Maulana Asadullah, Maulana Yaqoob Sasoli and others criticized the US attack on Afghanistan and termed it an attack on Islam.