QUETTA, Pakistan — Pakistan’s prime minister said the government of a southwestern province has been dismissed in response to the demands of protesters angry about an attack on minority Shiite Muslims there that killed 86 people.
Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said the governor has been made head of Baluchistan province, replacing the chief minister. Also, paramilitary forces will launch an operation against militants behind the attack on a billiards hall Thursday.
Ashraf spoke on TV in the early morning hours Monday.
Thousands of Shiites protested for a third day Sunday in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, against the billiards hall attack, refusing to bury victims from the bombing.
The premier flew to Quetta on Sunday to meet with the protesters, who were demanding the army take over responsibility for the city.