Bomb blast on dairy farm kills two in SW Pakistan

Quetta (Pakistan), Apr 2: A bomb blast on a government dairy farm in Pakistan's southwestern province of Baluchistan killed two people and wounded 10 others this morning, a senior provincial official said.

Ethnic Baluch tribesmen fighting for more autonomy and greater benefits from mineral resources, including Pakistan's largest gas fields, were suspected of planting the bomb in Kohlu district, some 400 km east of the provincial capital Quetta.

''The explosive device was planted somewhere inside the farm and it went off around 0900 hrs IST, district coordination officer Naseem Lehri told Reuters, adding that he suspected tribal rebels were responsible.

The rebels regularly blow up gas pipelines, railway lines and electricity transmission lines, and attack army bases and government buildings and facilities.

Large parts of Baluchistan were still without power today after the militants blew up four electricity pylons on Friday.

A simmering revolt flared into life in December when rebel tribesmen fired rockets at a Baluch town during a visit by President Pervez Musharraf.

Critics of Musharraf say hundreds of people have been killed during an army campaign using helicopter gunships to quell the tribes, but analysts say the numbers are probably exaggerated.

To win back support in the poorest of Pakistan's four provinces, Musharraf has announced plans for major infrastructure projects in Baluchistan.

REUTERS