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Violence at Pakistan field


Gas supplies suspended for second day



By Upstream staff 

Gas supplies were suspended from Pakistan's largest gas field for a second day after as many as 15 people were killed in fighting with tribesmen, officials said today.

President Pervez Musharraf, in a television interview aired late on Tuesday, warned tribal militants in the south-west province of Baluchistan to stop fighting or "they will not know what hit them".

Gunmen from the Marri tribe stormed facilities at the Sui field operated by the state-run Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) on Tuesday, overpowering military guards and damaging pipelines and a purification plant before being driven out by paramilitary frontier forces.

"Three paramilitary soldiers were killed and five others were wounded in fighting on Tuesday evening as security forces ejected the troublemakers from the gas field," said a military spokesman.

He said two civilians, including a child, died in the crossfire, while another security official said as many as 10 tribesmen had been killed.

Officials had said the plant's compressor and several pipelines had caught fire in that fighting.

The tribesmen launched their offensive last Friday with intensive rocket attacks that forced many residents and PPL workers to flee. They have long been fighting for more jobs, development funds and higher royalty payments and frequently attack PPL facilities.

Recent attacks have been notable for their intensity. Electricity supplies to almost half the field were disrupted and the telephone exchange was wrecked.

The area, about 400 kilometres north of Karachi, has long been a hotbed of tribal unrest, while other parts of Baluchistan are plagued by attacks from separatist militants.

The Sui field's average gas output is about 1 billion cubic feet per day - almost 45% of Pakistan's total natural gas production, Reuters reported.


Wednesday, 12 January, 2005, 08:52 GMT  | last updated: Thursday, 28 April, 2005, 09:44 GMT

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