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Rebels hit pipelines in Pakistani town



By Upstream staff 

Fire swept the Pakistani town of Sui after suspected militants blew up two natural gas pipelines, setting 50 shops ablaze but causing no casualties, officials said.

The fire gutted properties in the town in south-western Baluchistan, where Pakistan's largest natural gas field is located.

It was the most dramatic attack on Baluchistan's gas facilities since January 2005 when militants launched a rocket attack on a gas plant at Sui and forced it to close for nearly two weeks.

A local police official said there was no danger to the gas field on the outskirts of the town.

Private Geo television quoted an official of the gas distribution company as saying supplies to several cities had been disrupted.

The plant was shut for 11 days last year after a rocket attack. Sui accounts for 45% of Pakistan's gas supplies.

Baluch militants, fighting for more autonomy and control over the resources of the province, regularly blow up pipelines, rail links and power pylons, and launch attacks on government buildings and army bases in the province.

Baluchistan borders Iran and Afghanistan. It has Pakistan's largest gas and oil reserves. Militants resent its resources being used to benefit other regions.


Friday, 26 May, 2006, 20:46 GMT  | last updated: Friday, 26 May, 2006, 20:46 GMT

Dangerous ground: Pakaistani police at the scene of the assassination of an administration official in Baluchistan earlier this month
 

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