QUIET NIGHT IN PUNJAB

Chronicle (Levin), 10 March 1947, Page 5

QUIET NIGHT IN PUNJAB

Press Assn.

Communal Rtols Take Toll of HEAVY DAMAGE REPORTED j

By. Telegraph

-Copyrigfbt !

-Received Monday,, 1-1 a.m. LAHORE, March. 9, | British troopsi patrolfing, Am'ritsar had, to fire seven, times to enforce the curfew. • Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Jullund'er had a quiet night", but ! today two- Lahore shopkdepers were I. stabbed while opening their shops. • Reuter's New Delhi correspondent : says that a stour of Lahore earl'y ' today showed that the situation 1 had i'mproved eonsiderably stoce ■ yesterd'ay, when the police ffred | after the ri'oters ha'd' burned ma-rry I buildings and killed' 6Q people and s injured 250 others. • At Multan, whither troops were 'flown on a report that the1 towh was on fire, business premises are reported to be' closed and people- ' evaeuated from the dangerous parts if the- city, which- is* .one of the most important trade centres- in the Pun-jab, with a population of- : 142-000. Seven streets in Multan ha-ve been reduced to ashes, with casualties "in the. hundreds," according to latest reports. Rioting/broke out in three other Punj:ab towns Jullundur, Sialkot and Rawalpindi. It is> offieially announced that casualties in the Punjab disturbances from March 5 lfist night total1' 192 kill'ed andi 589 injured, eomprising: — Multani: 90 ki-lledr 115 injured; Lahore: 3& killed, 160. wounded;.. Rawalpindi: 27 killed 175 wounded; Amritsar: 27 killed, 100 wounded; Jallunder: 13 killed, 30, wounded. Britain . Being ChallengedL ' Britain is being ehallenged in the Punjab. to pronounce immediately for oi against Pakistan, says the Daily Telegraph's New Delhi correspondent. The Governor (Sir Eva-n Jenkins) while the Hi'ndus •and Sikhs are prepari-ng, civE war against the Moslems,, has sent an urgent telegram asking Whitehall to clarify the l'ong-term policy in the Punjab. The Moslems have been unabl'e to form a Government because they could not obtain a majority without the assistance of one or more of the minorities, who refuse to co-onerate. "fhe party is based- on communal exclusiveness and is- committed to Pakistan... A "peace- committee" of the leaders- cf ihe vari'ous Punjab communities has issued a- statem-eht appealihg to all members of the communities to.- a-ssist the- authorifcies in the restoration of order.