Author:
Publication: BBC News
Date: June 3, 2004
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3772331.stm
Introduction: One person has been
killed and several injured in clashes between protesters and security forces
on the outskirts of the northern Pakistani city of Gilgit.
An indefinite curfew in the city
and in other parts of the country's northern areas remains in force.
There was widespread violence in
the town of Hunza when the authorities tried to stop Shia from demonstrating.
They have been campaigning for changes
in religious textbooks. The changes are strongly opposed by many Sunnis.
Troops on patrol
A BBC correspondent in Gilgit says
that the city has remained mostly peaceful since the imposition of the
curfew on Thursday morning.
Our correspondent says there were
clashes between demonstrators and security forces on the outskirts of the
city, when a radio transmitter compound was attacked.
A police guard room was burnt down
by the protestors, but the transmitter is not reported to have been damaged.
Throughout the day troops with machine
guns mounted on trucks patrolled the city, warning local people not to
come out of their homes.
But despite the strict security
measures, the authorities were unable to stop a large number of Shia Muslims
from nearby villages marching towards Gilgit.
As the protesters tried to enter
the city, clashes broke out between armed villages and the security forces.
Doctors at a local hospital said
one protester was killed and at least three injured.
Two police officials were also brought
to the hospital with gunshot wounds, but their condition was said to be
stable.
Reports from the nearby town of
Hunza said thousands of Shia protesters attacked government buildings in
the morning, and ransacked a state-run hotel. A number of offices were
also set on fire.
The were protesting against the
government's decision to impose a ban on rallies staged by the Shia community.
They are a minority in most parts
of Pakistan, but form a sizeable majority in the country's northern areas.
They have been campaigning for the
changes in the curriculum, particularly in textbooks for religious studies,
which they say only present a Sunni Muslim version of Islamic history.
The Shia community had planned a
big demonstration on Thursday, but because of sectarian killings in Karachi
earlier this week the authorities imposed restrictions in an effort to
avoid violent clashes between rival communities.
Our correspondent in Gilgit says
that it is unlikely that the curfew will lifted in the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile a large number of Shia
protesters are still reported to be blocking the main Karakoram highway
in Gilgit which links Pakistan with China.
