Pakistan tribes want end to Baluchistan military ops

PAKISTAN: Tribal chieftains in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province called on Thursday for an end to military operations in the gas-rich region where militants are fighting for more autonomy.

The demand came at a meeting of tribal jirga or council attended by heads of over 80 Baluch tribes in the city of Qalat.

"The military operations are state-terrorism. These must be stopped," said a declaration issued at the end of the day-long meeting.

The jirga was convened in the wake of the killing of a veteran Baluch rebel leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, in a military offensive on Aug 26.

Several people were killed in violent street protests and bomb blasts after Bugti's death, which analysts said would exacerbate trouble in Pakistan's biggest but least-developed and most sparsely populated province. The jirga called on international human rights groups to conduct an investigation into the killing.

Baluch militants have been waging a low-key insurgency for decades in Baluchistan but tensions have increased since the death of 79-year-old Bugti.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group has warned that conflict in the province on the border with Afghanistan and Iran could intensify if President Pervez Musharraf's government pressed on with an offensive against rebels.

Baluchis complain of a lack of political representation and say their province's resources are used to the benefit of Pakistan's other provinces, most notably Punjab, while Baluchistan is neglected.

The province of mountains and deserts sits on Pakistan's biggest reserves of natural gas.

Government officials say a handful of tribal chiefs are stirring up trouble, fearing their power base would be eroded by government plans to develop the region.

Musharraf has announced plans for major infrastructure projects in Baluchistan to win back support while vowing to deal sternly with the militants.

Qalat, Friday, Reuters