Police break up quake refugees' march

Pakistani police used canes and rifle butts to break up a march by earthquake survivors, injuring demonstrators, who said they were protesting about an order to leave a refugee camp.

Police denied any eviction order had been made, and defended their tactics.

Yesterday's violence broke out as about 200 people marched through Muzaffarabad, one of the towns hit hardest by the quake. About 50 officers blocked their way and began dispersing them. Several men were dragged away, and police were seen kicking some protesters as they lay on the ground.

Earlier in the day, police had arrived at the Jalalabad Garden camp and told quake victims to leave by 5pm, witnesses said. "They said they would come with bulldozers, so we protested," said Salim Shah, who was left lying injured by the road after allegedly being beaten. "We have no other place to go."

The senior superintendent of Muzaffarabad police, Yasin Qureshi, denied there was any order to clear the camp. "We have not been directed to get these people out of here," he said. He said 10 people had been arrested for violating a ban on demonstrations.

Survivors have set up unofficial camps all over Muzaffarabad. Most are said to lack adequate sanitation. Quake relief, compensation for lost livelihoods and reconstruction costs will be about $5.2bn (£2.9bn), according to a report by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank. The report will be presented to an international donors' conference in Islamabad on 19 November.

The UN says it needs $550m in emergency aid for quake victims. Donors have pledged about $131m. $13.5bn was pledged to victims of the Asian tsunami.