November 24, 2006	Friday	Ziqa'ad 2, 1427

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QUETTA, Nov 23: Activists of the city chapter of the ruling PML’s women’s wing on Thursday staged a rally in support of the Protection of Women Bill in front of the press club.

The party’s city president Mir Abid Lehri said that the bill had been adopted by the National Assembly to protect the rights of women.

He said that amendments were necessary as some clauses in the Hudood laws had deprived women of their fundamental rights.

He praised President Pervez Musharraf and leaders of the ruling party for tabling the bill and getting it passed it by a big majority.

Shahida Parveen said the bill would ensure protection of women’s rights in the society, adding that the bill was the first step in the right direction to free women from male domination.

She said that women, despite forming 50 per cent of the population of the country, were denied equal opportunities to play their due role in elected bodies and government institutions.

LANDMINE BLAST: Two security personnel were injured in a landmine explosion in Tartani area of the troubled Kohlu district on Wednesday.

According to official sources, the personnel were tracing landmines planted by militants in the area. During the search, their vehicle hit a landmine which went off, blowing up the vehicle and injuring two soldiers. The injured were shifted to the CMH in Sibi.

Sources said that Tartani and other areas of Tehsil Kahan of District Kohlu were replete with landmines planted by militants to check movement of security forces engaged in operation against farari camps.

Meanwhile, two tribesmen were killed and another was seriously injured in an armed clash between groups of Nurzai and Aduzai tribes in border town Chaman on Wednesday.

According to reports, both the tribes had developed enmity after the killing of 17 Pakistani tribesmen in Spin Buldak in March this year. They had gone to Kabul to celebrate spring festival.

Sources said that some armed men tried to kidnap Zah Khan, brother of an Afghan commander in Spin Buldak, on gunpoint but he resisted and foiled the attempt. On hearing about the incident, armed tribesmen from both sides rushed to the site, took positions and started firing on each other.

In the firing, two of Nurzai tribesmen --Habibullah and Janan Khan-- were killed on the spot. The injured was admitted to the Civil Hospital Chaman.

The official sources, however, confirmed only one death in the clash. They said the situation was under control as heavy contingent of law enforcing agencies had been deployed in the area to check further clashes.