QUETTA, Sept 25: Activists of Balochistan Shia Council, Hazara Qaumi Jirga, Shia Ulema Council and Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen held a demonstration here on Sunday in protect against sectarian killings in the province.

The activists took out a procession and gathered at the Musa checkpost. They raised slogans against the government and in favour of the armed forces.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashraf Zaidi, Sardar Sadat Hazara, Allama Mehdi Najafi, Allama Juma Asadi and Qayyum Changezi said the government had failed to control the law and order situation in Balochistan and called for the imposition of governor's rule in the province.

They pointed out that terrorists killed 29 people belonging to the Hazara community on Sept 20 in Mastung and Quetta and another three people of the same community on Sept 23 in the provincial capital. However, the police were yet to arrest the culprits.

They called for an impartial probe into the killings in Mastung. They said a government that could not protect the people's lives had no right to be in power.

They said there was no dispute between the Shias and the Sunnis, but some terrorists were attempting to drive a wedge between them. They expressed the hope that people would frustrate the designs of the conspirators.

The demonstrators ended their protest following assurances by army officials that law-enforcement personnel would provide protection to them and the killers would be arrested soon.

Meanwhile, activists of Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz held a demonstration outside the press club against India and burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, alleging that India was behind the turmoil in the province.

Shams Mengal of the BMM said the killers of party leader Akmal Raisani, who was assassinated last month, had not been arrested till now. He claimed that local Indian agents were behind the target killings in the province to create disturbances among the people.