Militants blow up gas pipeline in SW Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan, Mar 21 (Reuters) Suspected militants blew up a gas pipeline in Baluchistan today, the latest attack in the troubled southwest Pakistan province where rebels are fighting for greater autonomy, officials said.

The pipeline is owned by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) and feeds gas to the Punjab province. Officials at the company said supplies to consumers remained unaffected.

''One of our 30-inch diameter pipeline was damaged in the attack, which took place at around 1:30 a.m. and some 11 km (7 miles) away from the Sui fields,'' said Naeem Ahmad Khan, a spokesman for SNGPL.

Khan said the repair work on the damaged pipeline was likely to be completed within 24 hours.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Baluch militants have waged a low-level insurgency for decades and have intensified attacks on government installations and infrastructure facilities, including pipelines and transport links, in recent months.

Yesterday, a four-inch diameter pipeline was blown up at the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchstan, disrupting gas supplies to some areas. Officials said supplies were expected to be back to normal normalise by midday today.

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