QUETTA, Jan 25 Police personnel resorted to near-mutiny over the issue of increase in salary on Monday, disrupting the life in the city.

Policemen resorted to firing in the air, torching tyres on main city roads and forcing shops and markets to shut down.

City-wide traffic was disrupted after tyres were torched on the Sariab Chowk, near the hockey ground, Governor's House, Chief Minister's Secretariat, GPO Chowk, Assembly Chowk and the Prince Road.

Violent protesters also pelted stones at private and public vehicles.

They complained that television channels were not airing their problems. They also tried to assault journalists and attacked a digital satellite news gathering (DSNG) vehicle.

The custodians of law came out on roads, turned against their fellow citizens and smashed windows of the Chief Minister's Secretariat.

During the commotion, personnel of the Frontier Corps remained silent spectators.

When a journalist asked FC men why action was not being taken against violators of law, they said they could not take action against employees of a sister organisation. The FC men remained silent when they were asked whether they would have acted in the same way if the same lawlessness was resorted to by political workers, lawyers or journalists.

Police personnel in uniforms and civilian dresses used official vehicles to carry out a procession from the Civil Lines. They reached the Governor's House after marching through various roads.

Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi urged the protesters to present their demands in writing and promised to forward the same to the chief minister. But the policemen refused to call off the protest until a notification was issued to bring their salaries at par with their colleagues in Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP.

They even turned down requests of provincial ministers Zamarak Khan Piralizai, Mir Yonus Malazai, Syed Ehsan Shah and Tahir Mahmood to call off the protest till the return of the chief minister from abroad.

However, they agreed to listen to the home minister, Mir Zafarullah Zehri, who arrived from Lahore in the afternoon.

When the home minister reached the Governor's House the protesters agreed to call off their agitation following his assurance that he would take up their demand for better salary with higher authorities.

He asked policemen to wait till Feb 5 for progress on the issue.

MEETING Journalists held an emergency meeting at the Press Club to chalk out their reaction to the manhandling of their colleagues.

The meeting was chaired by the club's general secretary Abdur Rehman Achakzai.

It decided that a rally would be organised on Tuesday against the police violence, and to lodge an FIR against policemen who manhandled journalists.