November 1, 2001	Thursday	Shaba’an 14, 1422

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QUETTA, Oct 31: Balochistan government has improved security arrangements to tackle pro-Taliban and anti-American demonstrations in the province, the provincial police chief said on Wednesday.

The inspector general of police Dr Shoaib Suddle said in an interview that parties organising the demonstration would be held responsible if their demonstrations turned violent.

He said there had been “a considerable degree of success” in improving law enforcement through negotiations with the organisers of protest rallies and strengthening of security measures after the Oct 8 violence in Quetta during a protest rally a day after the start of US-led air strikes on Afghanistan.

He did not rule out role of foreign elements in Sunday’s bomb blast in a bus. But, he said, the police would need solid evidence before reaching a conclusion.

One reason for banning the entry of new Afghan refugees was the possibility of foreign intelligence operatives arriving with them, he said.

The IG said more civilian deaths in the bombing in Afghanistan could lead to more protest in Balochistan, which had so far been concentrated in the Pashtun belt of the province. “It is getting more difficult by the day,” he said, adding that 2,000 additional policemen had to be deployed in the city on each day of protest.