Two people were killed when protests erupted in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan on Thursday after three Baluch nationalist leaders were found shot dead, police said.

Baluch nationalists have for decades campaigned for greater autonomy and control of the province's gas resources. Baluch militants have also waged a low-level insurgency. Protesters set ablaze a bank and torched vehicles in the provincial capital, Quetta, soon after news emerged that the three mid-level leaders of Baluch political groups had been found dead near the border with Iran.

Protesters said the three had been picked up by the security forces about a week ago.

The provincial government said the killings were an act of terrorism and ordered an inquiry.

Violence also erupted in other parts of Baluchistan, including the port town of Gwadar, and a policeman and a doctor were killed in the disturbances, police said.

Police used teargas in some areas to disperse protesters. There were no reports of disruptions at gas fields.

Baluchistan is Pakistan's biggest province in terms of area but its population is the smallest and poorest.

Reuters

Güncelleme Tarihi: 10 Nisan 2009, 10:54