Violence in Pakistan tax row

Police in Pakistan have fired tear gas to disperse market-traders and shop-keepers who were protesting against proposed tax reforms.

At least four people were injured in the protests, in Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier province.

Meanwhile, a meeting in Islamabad between the Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and business leaders has failed to end the nationwide dispute that has prompted strikes and protests.

The national oil tankers association is the latest group to call on its workers to join the strike from Saturday, which may seriously affect the supply of fuel in the country. The provincial government in Punjab says that traders there have agreed to end their strike.

But a BBC correspondent in Lahore says most of the shops in the city's main commercial district remain closed -- and elsewhere in the province, most traders observe Friday as a holiday , so the impact of the provincial government's statement could not be assessed fully.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service