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Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Mephisto who wrote (634)	10/15/2001 1:54:37 AM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

Police fire at mob moving on Pakistan air base Trouble flares when US air forces start using local base Luke Harding in Islamabad Monday October 15, 2001 The Guardian One person was shot dead yesterday and at least 12 were injured when Pakistani police opened fire on a crowd of between 4,000 and 5,000 demonstrators trying to storm a heavily protected airbase secretly being used by American forces. In the most violent scenes in Pakistan for a week, the protesters from the radical Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam (JUI) party converged on the small desert town of Jacobabad, in the southern province of Sindh. They then tried to march to the airport, which had been sealed off by 3,000 police. Paramilitary rangers fired several shots into the air and also let off teargas to drive away the crowd. The demonstrators responded by throwing stones. Clashes went on all afternoon. "We have strict orders from the government to deal sternly with the protesters," a Jacobabad police superintendent, Akhtar Ali Shah, said. Pakistan finally confirmed last Thursday that it has given the Americans the use of two minor airbases for raids into Afghanistan: Jacobabad, and remote Pasni on the Arabian Sea coast. According to officials, these airbases are being used for non-combat logistical support and as "recovery stations" for American planes unable to return to base. The covert arrival last week of US C-130 transport planes, helicopters, and American personnel has provoked a furious reaction from Pakistan's religious parties. Some 4,000 to 5,000 people gathered in Jacobabad yesterday, shouting "Down with the dog Bush", "American graveyard: Afghanistan" and "Hero of Islam, Osama bin Laden". "We strongly condemn the handover of bases to Americans by the government," Andul Ghafoor Haideri, the leader of the JUI, a Sunni group that is one of Pakistan's biggest religious parties, said. "This is an injustice to Pakistan and Islam." The police tried to pre-empt a violent demonstration by erecting roadblocks on all entry points to Jacobabad and installing machine gun posts on the tops of houses near by. At the weekend they also arrested 35 local leaders from hardline Islamist parties. They have been the biggest critics of the decision by Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, to support America. In normal times Jacobabad is little more than a very hot one-donkey town, where tribal traditions are strong and women - when they do appear on the streets, which is not often - cover themselves completely with a burqa. "People have seen American aircraft landing and taking off during the past couple of days, and especially yesterday," said Rashid Bijarani, a farmer in Jacobabad, who claimed to have seen them himself. Others in Jacobabad also spoke of seeing US-marked craft. During the weekend the JUI urged its supporters to advance on the airbase and to stage suicide attacks against any American aircraft they could find. The party's spokesman, Riaz Durran, declared: "Body bags will be sent to America. Then they will realise the misery." After violent protests in Quetta last week, in which four people were shot dead, Gen Musharraf issued orders to the army and police to deal harshly with demonstrators. Despite some rioting in Karachi three days ago, the situation appeared to be under control and most protests have been modest. But the presence of American troops remains very controversial. Gen Musharraf has promised America logistical support, intelligence and the use of Pakistani airspace, but has said Pakistani's airbases cannot be used for offensive military actions against the Afghans. guardian.co.uk