PAKISTAN: Violence erupts after funeral prayer of Baluch rebel leader in Quetta, Pakistan

Pakistani security forces exchanged fire with gunmen in Quetta on Tuesday (August 29) and one policeman was killed after prayers were held for a slain rebel leader. Protests have spread across the gas-rich Baluchistan province since nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed on Saturday (August 26) in a government assault on his cave hideout in the remote hills of Pakistan's biggest but poorest province. Police said about 10,000 people attended prayers for Bugti in Quetta, the provincial capital, on Tuesday (August 29). After the ceremony, angry mourners threw stones at police officers and set fire to government offices, shops and vehicles. A former provincial governor respected by many, 79-year-old Bugti went underground this year and joined rebels who have waged a long-term low-key insurgency demanding autonomy and a greater share of Baluchistan's resources. Provincial police chief, Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqub, told Geo Television that one policemen had been shot dead and one wounded. A shop-keeper was also wounded, according to a local doctor. Tuesday's clashes followed a grenade-attack on the home of Punjabi settlers in Quetta on Monday (August 28), killing one and injuring another, police said. A wave of violent incidents has also recently erupted in other parts of the country. In the port city of Gwadar, police reported that protesters attacked government offices, vehicles, homes and shops of people from outside the province. Suspected rebels also blew up a gas pipeline and electricity pylons near the city of Qalat late on Monday (August 28), in what appeared to be their first attack since Bugti's death. Officials said Bugti had not been targeted but that he was killed when explosives went off during heavy fighting in a cave, which then collapsed. The government says his body has not been recovered. Political analysts and opposition politicians said the rebel leader's killing appeared to have been intentional. Opposition politicians speaking in parliament in Islamabad on Monday (August 28) termed his killing "extra-judicial murder". The declared that they would hold prayers for Bugti, after a debate of no-confidence in Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The debate was scheduled before Bugti's death. President Pervez Musharraf issued a warning to those he said were "against the country's progress and sovereignty" in a speech on Monday and said he was committed to improving conditions in Baluchistan. Pakistan has accused old rival India of helping the rebels in the province that borders Afghanistan and Iran. India said on Monday Bugti's death was a tragedy and urged talks.

ITN Source | August 29, 2006

Tags:. .borders. .governor. .committed. .respected. .poorest