Bugti Buried: Musharraf on Edge
With the body of Nawab Akbar Bugti seemingly safely interred, Pakistan's leader Musharraf must now be taking stock of the situation. It would appear that what initially seemed like a victory for him may well have been badly mismanaged.
Rather than putting out the fires of Baloch nationalism, the killing of Bugti may well have fanned them further. The aim of the Pakistani military appears to have been to subdue and humiliate the Balochs, and this has backfired. Firstly by concealing the body, and then by refusing to meet the wishes of the family to have him buried in Quetta, the authorities have angered the Baloch further.
In a sense this is the propaganda opportunity the Balochs needed to bring their cause into the international limelight. The killing has featured prominently on mainstream media such as BBC World, and activist groups such as the Government of Balochistan website have seized the opportunity to make a call to arms:
The Government of Balochistan (GOB) in Exile declares the “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistan. The goal of this war is to secure the freedom of the Baloch people by liberating Pakistani-occupied Balochistan. Every nation in the world that supports the aspirations of the Baloch people for freedom must come forward and assist. Self-determination is a basic part of human rights, and various charters of the United Nations recognize it. Hence, it is the right of the Baloch people to liberate Balochistan that was forcibly occupied by Pakistan.
Just like the KLA back in the late 1990s, the Baloch appears to be utilising media technology to mobilise support; note also their professions to avoid terrorist tactics and the sheer propagandistic tone of the post.
It appears that Musharraf has, for the time being, unwittingly handed his enemies the upper hand. How China, the US and India will react remains to be seen - and will probably stay out of the public eye.
BBC report below.
Lonely burial for Baloch leader
Tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti has been buried in Pakistan's Balochistan province six days after being killed in a military raid, the authorities say.
No relatives were among the handful of people who saw the sealed coffin laid to rest in his home town of Dera Bugti.
The cleric who performed the last rites identified Bugti's remains. The family wanted a public funeral in Quetta.
Troops are on full alert for unrest. Strikes are being observed in a number of cities in protest at the killing.
Nawab Akbar Bugti's death in the military raid on Saturday triggered days of violent protests across Balochistan in which a number of people died.
Observers say the manner of his killing may further inflame tensions in the province.The BBC's Aijaz Mahar in Dera Bugti says the locked casket was buried next to the graves of the tribal leader's son and his brother.
Fewer than two dozen people were present for his last rites, our correspondent says.
The quiet burial took place against the wishes of the family, who did not attend. Mourners were heavily outnumbered by dozens of security personnel.
Relatives have accused the government of refusing to hand over the body.
Following days of unrest, the authorities had declared that only two members of the Bugti family could attend the funeral - an offer which was rejected.
One of Bugti's sons, Talal, said they were not even asked to identify the decomposed body and queried whether it was that of his father.
Dera Bugti district co-ordination officer Abdul Samad Lasi told the BBC the tribal chief's abdomen had been crushed, but his face and legs were unmarked.
He said he had also been identified with the help of his watch, cane, glasses and ring.
The only person to see the body during the funeral was the mullah who performed the ceremony, Reuters news agency reports.
"I have recognised the body," Maulana Malook told the agency.
Bugti, a former chief minister of Balochistan, had campaigned for years for the gas-rich province to be given greater autonomy and a larger share of natural resources.
But the Pakistani authorities accused him of leading an armed insurgency against the state.
Soldiers unearthed the 79-year-old's body from under a heavy boulder in his cave hideout in Balochistan on Thursday.
The bodies of a number of his followers were also reportedly found in the cave.
Nawab Akbar Bugti was regarded as a hero by many in Balochistan, but in the government's eyes he was a greedy feudal overlord who led a heavily-armed private militia and stood in the way of national development.
Baloch militant groups have regularly mounted bomb attacks on pipelines and other targets in the region.
Mr Bugti was tracked down to his mountain cave hideout on Saturday. Military sources originally said he died in a ground and air operation.
Officials have since given differing accounts of what happened, and deny that security forces meant to kill him.
