At least four people were killed in Pakistan yesterday after police fired on protesters involved in a nation-wide general strike called by Islamic parties against the US air attacks on Afghanistan.
Protesters burned tyres, blocked transit routes and clashed with police in pro-Taliban demonstrations in towns and cities in opposition to the Pakistani government's support for US policies in Afghanistan.
The strike, which attracted only small crowds, was called by the Afghanistan Defence Council, an alliance of 35 Islamic groups. Many roads were almost deserted across the country and most shops closed down, but it was difficult to gauge the extent of the strike as the government had also declared yesterday a national holiday to mark the birthday of the national poet Allama Iqbal. The government said the strike was partial and transport was available, while organisers claimed it was a success.
Islamic groups have been staging protests every Friday after afternoon prayers for the past two months.
Several of the early protests were violent and included fatalities, but they have been peaceful in recent weeks and the size of the crowds has diminished.
Police said they baton-charged and lobbed tear gas at more than 1,000 protesters blocking a train at Shadan Lund railway station, 90 miles from the central Punjab city of Multan, before opening fire.
Four people died of bullet wounds and four were wounded and the police said they had detained 22 protesters.
But at a news conference later in Islamabad, Mr Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, secretary-general of the pro-Taliban Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam fundamentalist Islamic party, named four people he said had been killed by police.
Around 100 protesters who blocked a national highway near Sibi, 100 km south-east of Quetta in Baluchistan province, were detained, police said.
Police also fired teargas at protesters in the cities of Karachi and Rawalpindi and in the north western city of Peshawar and several arrests were made.
About 100 Taliban supporters, chanting "Osama will rule" and "Taliban, Taliban" marched through the bazaars of the north western city of Peshawar in the morning, forcing shops to close. Several thousand people subsequently attended a rally in the Chowk Yadgar area, chanting "Crush, crush the USA" and accusing Gen Musharraf of being a traitor.
"After today's successful strike Musharraf has no right to remain in power . . . and he should step down,"' said Mr Maulana Samiul Haq, head of the council, speaking in Peshawar.
Mr Haq told several thousand demonstrators that if Gen Musharraf did not end Pakistan's support, a civil disobedience movement would be started.
Leaders of the defence council will meet in Islamabad today to discuss future action.
Gen Musharraf is due to meet the US President, Mr Bush, in the US today as part of a tour of major capitals.
He said this week he would try to persuade Mr Bush to suspend the bombing of Afghanistan during Ramadan.