ISLAMABAD, March 3: The government on Wednesday promised to hold a thorough inquiry into Tuesday's killings during an Ashura mourning procession in Quetta and an exemplary punishment to people found responsible as opposition in the Senate complained of security lapses in the Balochistan metropolis.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the upper house that President Pervez Musharraf had already ordered an inquiry by a high court judge into what he called "most regretful" incident in which he said 40 to 43 people were killed.

Making a statement immediately after the Senate resumed its session following two-day Ashura recess, he said the government would keep the house informed about the progress of investigation and also submit to it the inquiry report.

Most opposition senators, who spoke on points of order raised by them, disputed the minister's statement regarding the government's security measures and some of them blaming the Balochistan's provincial police chief.

Some of them also demanded an inquiry by a committee of the Senate. The house offered Fateha prayer for those killed. "All precautionary measures according to our capacity were taken ... including the establishment of peace committees and an army alert," the minister said.

He said two of three men involved in the attack had apparently blown themselves up while the third was injured and arrested. He said he hoped the arrested man would help investigators reach to the bottom of what he called a conspiracy.

The minister said except for Quetta and Phalia in Punjab - where three people were reported killed in a sectarian clash - mourning processions were held peacefully across the country.

Prof Khurshid Ahmed of the MMA welcomed the minister's statement and said the house should wait for the inquiry report. But he complained of apparent "negligence of the political leadership," saying it appeared there were no preparations made by security agencies in Quetta to avert such an incident.

"Why there was no protection (for people and property)?" he asked as he referred to firing by gunmen on the Ashura procession and then resort to arson by protesters.

He said mere condolence statements by the president and Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali were not enough. "They should have immediately gone there."

Sanaullah Baloch (BNM-Mengal) accused the government of failing to maintain law and order and called for the transfer of the provincial police chief and "correcting the Qibla (direction) of intelligence agencies".

Prof Ghafoor Ahmed (MMA) said the Quetta incident did not appear to be a sudden happening but the result of a planning by "our enemies," who he said wanted to destroy peace and Sunni-Shia brotherhood in the country.

Mouhim Khan Baloch (BNM-Awami), whose party an ally of the government, said it seemed there was no coordination between provincial and federal agencies. Azizullah Satakzai (MMA) criticised the Balochistan police chief, saying extra care should be taken to protect the one arrested attacker from being killed.

Raza Mohammad Raza (PKMAP, Balochistan) blamed government agencies for what he called "state terrorism" and said he had received reports that law-enforcement forces had vacated Quetta city for five hours after the first firing on the mourning procession on Tuesday.

Other senators, who spoke on the occasion, included Mohammad Ali Durrani (NA), Bibi Yasmin Shah (PML-Q), Latif Khosa (PPP) and Baba Ghori (MQM).