Pakistan finds rebel chief's body, protests planned

ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (Reuters) Pakistani soldiers unearthed the body of a nationalist rebel chieftain today from the rubble of a cave in the southwest province of Baluchistan, where he was killed in fighting with government forces last weekend.

Violent protests erupted across Baluchistan after Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, a former provincial governor, was killed.

Baluch political parties plan more protests tomorrow, while opposition parties intend to boycott the National Assembly in Islamabad.

Bugti, 79, was killed on Saturday during an assault on his hideout in the remote hills of gas-rich Baluchistan, Pakistan's poorest and least populated province.

''His body has been retrieved from the rubble. It is badly crushed,'' military spokesman Major-General Shaukat Sultan said.

Sultan said relatives were being called to identify the body, which was in an advanced state of decay.

The government says Bugti and an unknown number of his men were killed when the cave they were in collapsed after a huge explosion during the fighting, 265 km east of the provincial capital, Quetta.

The government says security forces did not intend to kill Bugti, but Baluch nationalists, opposition politicians and security analysts say they doubt that.

President Pervez Musharraf, a general who came to power in a coup seven years ago, has faced a barrage of criticism for using overwhelming force to put down Bugti's revolt.

The length of time it has taken to retrieve Bugti's body had fed speculation challenging the official account of his death.

A senior Baluchistan official and an Interior Ministry official said 50 or more people -- both rebels and troops -- were killed in the fighting on Saturday but the military confirmed the death of only four officers and a soldier.

Bugti led an increasingly violent campaign to win decades-old demands for autonomy and a greater share of profits from the province's resources. The campaign included attacks on gas facilities, infrastructure and security forces.

An old-style feudal leader, Bugti had many critics, but in a tribal society where pride and courage are highly valued, the old man's defiance of the Pakistan army burnished his reputation.

Analysts say Bugti's death is likely to further inflame opposition in Baluchistan and could stir up other parts of Pakistan where demands for autonomy have simmered since the country's formation nearly 60 years ago.

Reuters SRS VP0215