SUKKUR, Oct 16: Security at the Jacobabad airport was tightened on Monday following the reported overnight arrival of six M-15 US jet planes at the airport.

The area people told Dawn that six M-15 jet planes had landed at the airport in the wee hours of Monday. The planes’ activity had continued from 2am to 6am, they added.

The Rangers pickets set up around the airport were reinforced and more pickets were established on the rooftops of many houses.

Nobody was allowed to enter the airport area, where one person had been killed and 50 others wounded when police had opened fire to stop protesters from marching towards the airport.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam leader Khalid Mehmood Soomro had earlier threatened at a public meeting that if the airport was not vacated by the US troops within a week, the JUI would lay siege to it.

Following the issuance of this threat, more pickets of the Rangers and the army were set up in the area.

Maulana Siraj Amroti of the JUI and Maulana Murad demanded that an FIR be registered against those responsible for killing Mukhtar Khoso, who had died during police firing on Sunday. They warned that JUI workers would “retaliate” if Jacobabad authorities did not lodge an FIR.

Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector-General Kamal Shah took action against 31 SHOs and DSPs of Sukkur, Shikarpur, Larkana and Hyderabad for failing to stop the protest demonstration at the airport. An inquiry against the police officials would be initiated, it was learnt.