KOHAT, Jan 9 The army opened fire in 'self-defence' on thousands of angry protesters, who marched into Hangu from Kohat on Friday evening and surrounding areas to take out Ashura procession by force amid curfew in the city.

The DCO, DPO, army officials and elders of the Shia community had to take shelter inside the Orakzai Agency headquarters on the Kohat-Parachinar Highway after the clash.

The Shia elders had been called to ask the protesters to return back and do not enter the Hangu bazaar, but nobody was ready to listen to them. They were inside the headquarters till late night.

Although casualties were feared but officials and medical teams from hospital could not reach the spot, fearing attack by the 15,000 angry armed men.

The army fired with automatic weapons and mortars on the protesters near the Orakzai Agency headquarters in Babar Mela when they tried to enter the Hangu city.

Thousands of protesters, who had been staging a sit-in since Thursday noon in Kohat, marched towards Hangu from Kohat to force the government to relax the curfew and allow the Ashura procession to pass through its usual bazaar route on Friday.

The protesters were still there at the time of filing of this report late on Friday night.

The armed men belonging to Shia dominant 25 villages of upper Kohat first blocked the main Kohat-Parachinar Highway and then started march towards Hangu from Sherkot, Ustarzai, Upper Ustarzai, Kacha Pakha, Raisan, Chakarkot, Babar Mela, Kachai, Marai and other areas. Some of them managed to break the cordon of security forces on the Kohat-Hangu border and enter Hangu.

The rest gathered at Babar Mela and waited for orders from their elders what line of action to take in the prevailing situation. Later, they also entered Hangu.

The district administration of Hangu made it clear to the local protesters that the mourners' procession would not be allowed to take its usual route.

A jirga of the Shia community, led by district khateeb Allama Jawad Ahmed Jawadi who insisted on taking out Ashura procession on the 11th of Muharram told the government that they would not end their protest. He said they would take out processions from different places at any cost.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN A child suffered injuries when unknown people hurled two hand grenades, one on a house near the Bamo Shah Imambargah and another on the residence of the SHO of the city police station.

A rocket was targeted at the Kotli Imam Hussain Imambargah at the peak hours of the Ashura procession. However, police after getting information about it rushed to the spot and called the bomb disposal squad, who defused the rocket fixed on a launching paid.

The main procession was brought out from the Bamo Shah Imambargah, which was joined by 19 small processions. After passing through specified routes of the city, it culminated at the Kotli Imam Hussain Imambargah.

MARDAN District Police Officer Mohammad Iqbal Khan Yousufzai has said police foiled an attempt of sabotage before the taking out of the Muharram procession in Mardan.

Speaking at a press conference at his office here on Friday, he said ASI Musharraf Shah spotted some suspected material in a heap just in front of the gate of the imambargah. The bomb disposal squad was called, which defused the five-kilogramme explosive device.

He said cash award of Rs30,000 and a commendation certificate had been announced for ASI Shah.

HARIPUR The Yaum-i-Ashur was observed with religious reverence in Haripur.

Traditional processions of Alam and Zuljinah were taken out from the Mankraye village, Banda Muneer Khan, Mohra Sardar Beg, Tofkian and Sultan Pur.

Heavily armed police personnel had been deployed on procession routes and on rooftops along the routes.

MANSEHRA Ashura was observed here amid tight security. Entry and exit points were sealed and a heavy contingent of police was deployed in and around the city and near the imambargah in the Muftiabad area.

LAKKI MARWAT Amid tight security arrangements, the 10th of Muharram was observed in the district.

The district administration had deployed a large number of police force on the procession routes.

Mourners also took out a procession of Alam and Zuljinnah from the Sayyedan locality after Zuhr prayer.