Associated Press

Karachi, January 16:

Households and industry across Pakistan were facing gas shortage today following a wave of rocket attacks blamed on ethnic militants against pipelines in a remote southern region, officials said. Thousands of paramilitary and regular troops have been deployed as guards and to hunt for the attackers, who launched a barrage of hundreds of rockets on Tuesday, hitting the state-run gas plant at Sui in Baluchistan province.

Nearly a week of attacks on gas facilities left at least eight civilians and soldiers dead and raised expectation that the military could launch a major operation in Baluchistan as well.