The crowd of 60,000 to 100,000 gathered in a central square and jammed surrounding roads in the Baluchistan provincial capital, a stronghold of fundamentalist Islamic parties bitterly opposed to the US campaign in Afghanistan and the attack against Iraq.

Protestors waved pictures of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and vowed to wage "jihad" or holy war to defend Iraq.

"I am ready to go to Iraq to fight against the infidels if someone would arrange for me to go there," said 21-year old Ali Gul as he shouted "death to Bush" in chorus with others around him.

A 25-year-old Afghan national, Matiullah, said he was willing to go to Iraq for jihad if he was asked to do so.

The rally was led by the country's powerful Islamic party alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

Police estimated the number of protestors at 60,000, while AFP reporters put the crowd at up to 100,000.

The MMA, which emerged a powerful bloc in October 2002 elections, rules the country's deeply religious North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and shares power in Baluchistan.

It has been at the forefront of massive anti-war rallies and last week their rally in Peshawar, capital of NWFP, attracted more than 250,000 people.

Two big rallies were organised in southern city Karachi and northern city Rawalpindi, attracting some 300,000 people together, before the United States launched its March 20 assaults on Iraq.

Anti-war protests have been staged in Pakistan daily since the war started.

Pakistan, a key US ally in the 18-month old war on terrorism, has "deplored" the US-led attacks on Iraq.

A United Nations Security Council member, it avoided stating publicly how it would vote on any resolution authorising war, but always opposed military action without UN approval.

SPACE.WIRE