Nawab Akbar Bugti
Encyclopedia
Akbar Khan Bugti (July 12, 1927–August 26, 2006) was the Tumandar
(head) of the Bugti
tribe of Baloch and served as Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province
in Pakistan
.
He is the head of the Bugti Family
After a wave of terrorism started in Balochistan in 2004, Bugti was widely perceived as a leader but went underground in 2005. On August 26, he was killed in his cave in Kohlu
, about 150 miles east of Quetta
, leading to widespread unrest in the area.
Nawab Akbar Khan was born in Barkhan
the rural home of the rustic Khetran
a Baloch tribe to which his mother belonged and now an upgraded district of Balochistan
, on July 12, 1927. He was the son of Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti and a grandson of Sir Shahbaz Khan Bugti. His immediate relatives were his brothers Sardar Abdur Rehman Khan Bugti, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Bugti and cousin Sardar Ghulam Mustafa Khan Bugti. He received his early education from Aitchison College and claimed to receive Higher Education from Oxford University which it turns out is not true.
in May 1958 to fill the vacancy created as a result of the assassination of the incumbent, Dr Khan Sahib, and sat on the government bench as a member of the ruling coalition. Bugti (Republican
) served as Minister of State
(Interior) in the government of Prime Minister
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon
(Republican
) from September 20, 1958, to October 7, 1958, when the cabinet was dismissed on the declaration of Martial Law by President
Iskander Mirza.
He was arrested and convicted by a Military Tribunal in 1960 and subsequently disqualified from holding public office. As a result of his legal battles, he did not contest the 1970 general elections. Instead, he campaigned on behalf of his younger brother, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Bugti, a candidate of the National Awami Party
.
However, Bugti developed differences with the NAP leadership, especially the new Balochistan Governor, Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo. He informed the Federal Government and President
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
(Pakistan Peoples Party
) of the alleged London Plan, which resulted in the dismissal of the provincial governor as well as the Chief Minister Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal
and his cabinet on February 14, 1973. The next day, the Federal Government appointed Bugti as the Governor of Balochistan
, and the Pakistan Army
was deployed in the province as part of a crackdown on the National Awami Party
.
He resigned on January 1, 1974, after disagreeing with the manner in which the Federal Government was carrying out policies in Balochistan
. The army had deployed 100,000 men in Balochistan
and with the help of the Iranian airforce killed large numbers of Balochis. Muhammad Raza Shah Pahlavi, the King of Iran
, sent F-14 fighter jets and AH-1 gunships along with his pilots, to help Pakistan Army combat the insurgency. The Pakistani army is alleged to have killed more than 4000 Balochi, mostly Marri
insurgents, in these operations. Akbar Bugti is said to have supported the military action.
There was a lull in his activities when General
Rahimuddin Khan
was appointed Governor of Balochistan in 1978. Bugti remained silent throughout the course of Rahimuddin's rule, which was often characterized by hostility towards the Baloch Sardars.
In 1988, he joined the Balochistan National Alliance and was elected Chief Minister
on February 4, 1989. His government frequently disagreed with the Federal Government led by the Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto
(Pakistan Peoples Party
).
Bugti resigned on August 6, 1990, when the provincial assembly was dissolved by Governor of Balochistan General Muhammad Musa in accordance with the instructions of President
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
, who was exercising his authority by virtue of Article 58 (2 b) of the Constitution of Pakistan. For the 1990 General Elections, Bugti formed his own political party, the Jamhoori Watan Party
(JWP), being Balochistan's single largest party and was elected to the provincial assembly.
In 1993, he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan
, representing the JWP
in parliament. Also, in 1993, Nawab Bugti announced his candidacy to be President of Pakistan but later withdrew his candidacy and announced his support of the eventual winner, Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari. In 1997, Nawab Bugti was re-elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan
, representing the JWP
.
, led the Bugti tribesmen.
In recent years, he was accused by the Pakistani government of being a warlord
and running a well-organized militia
, sometimes thought to be the shadowy Balochistan Liberation Army
(BLA) with members numbering in the thousands. The BLA allegedly ran dozens of militant guerrilla training camps. While campaigning from the mountain ranges of Dera Bugti
, he was, according to the Pakistani government, directing a “Mullah Omar
” style guerrilla war. In July 2006, Pakistani president General Musharraf targeted him through aerial bombing, using air force jets and gunship helicopters. The leader of Balochistan National Party
, Sardar Akhtar Mengal said, "The increase in bomb attacks in the Bugti and Marri areas are meant to target Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and his associates" and called upon the international community to take note of the situation.
), Bugti was killed when a shell exploded in the cave
in which he was hiding. The Pakistani government says that he killed himself along with senior security officials by firing a shell when he was cornered by the Pakistani officials who had come unarmed to arrest him, resulting in the collapse of the cave. Six Pakistani troops including one colonel and two majors also died who went there for negotiations.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf termed his death a victory for Pakistanis and congratulated the secret service chief who carried out this brutal operation. Pakistan's Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani, confirmed that the operation included both air and ground assault. In a short telephone interview, made to a private television network, the Pakistani Information Minister said that Bugti's death occurred as the cave he was in collapsed.
In a recent article the Pakistani Journalist Hamid Mir
said that the last time that he talked to Nawab Bugti, he was in the mountains and had called Mir from his satellite phone. In this last conversation with Hamid Mir, Nawab Bugti told him Your commando general will rest only after he martyrs me but after my martyrdom he will be held responsible. So now it's up to you people to either choose Musharraf or Pakistan. The choice is yours."
. As the news flashed across television screens in Pakistan, the government deployed Rangers and paramilitary forces across major cities to prevent a backlash and impose a curfew in the provincial capital, Quetta
. Security arrangements for the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf have been beefed up to the highest level, and his movement has since been very restricted, fearing a retaliatory attack. Security arrangements have been further enhanced in and around all airports of Pakistan. The media both in Pakistan and outside have severely condemend the killing as the "[m]ilitary’s second biggest blunder after Bhutto’s execution" and calling it a "political nightmare". Others have likened it to the East Bengal
crisis of 1971 where military violence eventually led to the Bangladesh Liberation War
.
On August 27, 2006, some private media broadcast news that Bugti's grandsons, Brahamdagh and Mir Ali, are still alive, but no official confirmation has been made.
On September 1, 2006 Bugti was buried in Dera Bugti
with three locks on his coffin, next to the graves of his son and brother. His family, who wanted a public funeral in Quetta
, did not attend the burial, they protested against his body being locked in the coffin.
The Bugti grandson's consist of Brahumdagh Khan Bugti (son of Rehan Khan Bugti), Mir Aali Bugti, Kohmeer Bugti (son of Saleem Bugti), Tabish Khan Bugti (son of Agha Shahid Hassan Bugti), Taleh Bugti and Zamran Bugti (sons of saleem Bugti).
~Chartaceous lions are not acceptable to me,Enter the battlefield and prove that you are a lion
~Shaheed-e-Azam Nawab Akber Bugti: Hunger in Freedom is much better than replete in Slavery
~I will be beheaded but will never bow my head down before the oppressors and occupiers.
~ When you truely believe that you deserve success ,your mind will automatically generate ways to achieve it
~I Dont believe in Taking Right decisions..I Take Decisions and Make Them Right
Portrait
Tumandar
Tumundar is a title given to the leader of a Baloch tribe in Pakistan. For example,* Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti was the Tumandar of the Bugti tribe....
(head) of the Bugti
Bugti
Bugti , is a Baloch tribe located in Balochistan, Pakistan. They are divided into various clans such as Rahija, Mandawani , Kalpar, Nauthani, Masuri, Ferozani, Salamaan Zai, Mundarani, Qasimani, Shambani, Sobazai, Pahi, Maretha and Moharkanzai etc., numbering around 300,000.On a bigger scale the...
tribe of Baloch and served as Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
He is the head of the Bugti Family
After a wave of terrorism started in Balochistan in 2004, Bugti was widely perceived as a leader but went underground in 2005. On August 26, he was killed in his cave in Kohlu
Kohlu
Kohlu is the capital of Kohlu District in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°15'0E with an altitude of 1183 metres . The Marri tribe is main ethnic group in the city....
, about 150 miles east of Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, leading to widespread unrest in the area.
Early life and family
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
the rural home of the rustic Khetran
Khetran
The Khetran is a Baloch tribe in [Balochistan], Pakistan, of Rind origin. Their first language is the Khetrani language, and balochi language which is spoken only by their tribe....
a Baloch tribe to which his mother belonged and now an upgraded district of Balochistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
, on July 12, 1927. He was the son of Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti and a grandson of Sir Shahbaz Khan Bugti. His immediate relatives were his brothers Sardar Abdur Rehman Khan Bugti, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Bugti and cousin Sardar Ghulam Mustafa Khan Bugti. He received his early education from Aitchison College and claimed to receive Higher Education from Oxford University which it turns out is not true.
In politics
Nawab Akbar Bugti was elected in a by-election to the National Assembly of PakistanNational Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
in May 1958 to fill the vacancy created as a result of the assassination of the incumbent, Dr Khan Sahib, and sat on the government bench as a member of the ruling coalition. Bugti (Republican
Republican Party (Pakistan)
The Pakistani Republican Party was formed in October 1955, by a break away faction of the Muslim League and other politicians supporting the creation of the West Pakistan province, on the instigation of key leaders in the military and civil service....
) served as Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
(Interior) in the government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon
Feroz Khan Noon
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon, KCSI, KCIE, Kt was a politician from Pakistan.-Early life:Born on 18th of June 1893 at village Hamoka,tehsil Khushab, Punjab. He was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore....
(Republican
Republican Party (Pakistan)
The Pakistani Republican Party was formed in October 1955, by a break away faction of the Muslim League and other politicians supporting the creation of the West Pakistan province, on the instigation of key leaders in the military and civil service....
) from September 20, 1958, to October 7, 1958, when the cabinet was dismissed on the declaration of Martial Law by President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Iskander Mirza.
He was arrested and convicted by a Military Tribunal in 1960 and subsequently disqualified from holding public office. As a result of his legal battles, he did not contest the 1970 general elections. Instead, he campaigned on behalf of his younger brother, Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Bugti, a candidate of the National Awami Party
National Awami Party
The National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
.
However, Bugti developed differences with the NAP leadership, especially the new Balochistan Governor, Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo. He informed the Federal Government and President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
(Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
) of the alleged London Plan, which resulted in the dismissal of the provincial governor as well as the Chief Minister Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal
Ataullah Mengal
Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal , popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, is a well-known political and feudal figure of Pakistan hailing from Balochistan. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement in Pakistan for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe...
and his cabinet on February 14, 1973. The next day, the Federal Government appointed Bugti as the Governor of Balochistan
Governor of Balochistan
The Governor of Balochistan is the appointed Head of State of the provincial government in Balochistan, Pakistan. The governor is designated by the Prime Minister and is normally regarded a ceremonial post...
, and the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
was deployed in the province as part of a crackdown on the National Awami Party
National Awami Party
The National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
.
He resigned on January 1, 1974, after disagreeing with the manner in which the Federal Government was carrying out policies in Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
. The army had deployed 100,000 men in Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
and with the help of the Iranian airforce killed large numbers of Balochis. Muhammad Raza Shah Pahlavi, the King of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, sent F-14 fighter jets and AH-1 gunships along with his pilots, to help Pakistan Army combat the insurgency. The Pakistani army is alleged to have killed more than 4000 Balochi, mostly Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
insurgents, in these operations. Akbar Bugti is said to have supported the military action.
There was a lull in his activities when General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Rahimuddin Khan
Rahimuddin Khan
Rahimuddin Khan Afridi is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who was the fourth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1984 to 1987. He was also the longest-serving Governor and martial law administrator of Balochistan, from 1978 to when he resigned in 1984...
was appointed Governor of Balochistan in 1978. Bugti remained silent throughout the course of Rahimuddin's rule, which was often characterized by hostility towards the Baloch Sardars.
In 1988, he joined the Balochistan National Alliance and was elected Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
on February 4, 1989. His government frequently disagreed with the Federal Government led by the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
(Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
).
Bugti resigned on August 6, 1990, when the provincial assembly was dissolved by Governor of Balochistan General Muhammad Musa in accordance with the instructions of President
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Ghulam Ishaq Khan , abbreviated as GIK, was the seventh President of Pakistan from August 17, 1988 until July 18, 1993 and a career statesman from the start to the end of cold war...
, who was exercising his authority by virtue of Article 58 (2 b) of the Constitution of Pakistan. For the 1990 General Elections, Bugti formed his own political party, the Jamhoori Watan Party
Jamhoori Watan Party
The Jamhoori Wattan Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan. In legislative elections, held on 20 October 2002, the party won 0.3 % of the popular vote and 1 out of 272 elected members....
(JWP), being Balochistan's single largest party and was elected to the provincial assembly.
In 1993, he was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
, representing the JWP
Jamhoori Watan Party
The Jamhoori Wattan Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan. In legislative elections, held on 20 October 2002, the party won 0.3 % of the popular vote and 1 out of 272 elected members....
in parliament. Also, in 1993, Nawab Bugti announced his candidacy to be President of Pakistan but later withdrew his candidacy and announced his support of the eventual winner, Sardar Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari. In 1997, Nawab Bugti was re-elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
, representing the JWP
Jamhoori Watan Party
The Jamhoori Wattan Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan. In legislative elections, held on 20 October 2002, the party won 0.3 % of the popular vote and 1 out of 272 elected members....
.
Balochistan conflict
Bugti was involved in struggles, at times armed ones, in Balochistan in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. He led the current movement in Balochistan for greater autonomy. He was the public face and provided political support for the movement while his grandson, Brahamdagh Khan BugtiBrahamdagh Khan Bugti
Brahamdagh Khan Bugti is a prominent Baloch leader and the main icon of the Baloch Freedom movement and founder and chief of Baloch Republican Party,the largest Baloch political party,struggling on one point agenda of Freedom of Balochistan. Brahamdagh Khan Bugti is the son of Nawabzada Rehan...
, led the Bugti tribesmen.
In recent years, he was accused by the Pakistani government of being a warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
and running a well-organized militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, sometimes thought to be the shadowy Balochistan Liberation Army
Balochistan Liberation Army
The Balochistan Liberation Army is a terrorist group based in Balochistan, a mountainous region within southern Iran and Pakistan. The organization is a participant in the Balochistan conflict and strives to establish an independent state of Balochistan, free of Pakistani and Iranian rule...
(BLA) with members numbering in the thousands. The BLA allegedly ran dozens of militant guerrilla training camps. While campaigning from the mountain ranges of Dera Bugti
Dera Bugti
Dera Bugti is a town in Dera Bugti District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It was the hometown of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. Most of the inhabitants of Dera Bugti belong to the Bugti family. It is not far from the Punjab state.-Administration:...
, he was, according to the Pakistani government, directing a “Mullah Omar
Mohammed Omar
Mullah Mohammed Omar , often simply called Mullah Omar, is the leader of the Taliban movement that operates in Afghanistan. He was Afghanistan's de facto head of state from 1996 to late 2001, under the official title "Head of the Supreme Council"...
” style guerrilla war. In July 2006, Pakistani president General Musharraf targeted him through aerial bombing, using air force jets and gunship helicopters. The leader of Balochistan National Party
Balochistan National Party
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
, Sardar Akhtar Mengal said, "The increase in bomb attacks in the Bugti and Marri areas are meant to target Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and his associates" and called upon the international community to take note of the situation.
Death
On Saturday August 26, 2006, around 2230 hrs (PSTPakistan Standard Time
Pakistan Time is the time zone for Pakistan. It is 5 hours ahead of GMT/UTC .The only tz database zone is Asia/Karachi.-History:The current Pakistan time was set up at midnight between 29 September and 30 1951...
), Bugti was killed when a shell exploded in the cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
in which he was hiding. The Pakistani government says that he killed himself along with senior security officials by firing a shell when he was cornered by the Pakistani officials who had come unarmed to arrest him, resulting in the collapse of the cave. Six Pakistani troops including one colonel and two majors also died who went there for negotiations.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf termed his death a victory for Pakistanis and congratulated the secret service chief who carried out this brutal operation. Pakistan's Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani, confirmed that the operation included both air and ground assault. In a short telephone interview, made to a private television network, the Pakistani Information Minister said that Bugti's death occurred as the cave he was in collapsed.
In a recent article the Pakistani Journalist Hamid Mir
Hamid Mir
Hamid Mir is a Pakistani journalist and editor. He is also a news anchor, terrorism expert, and security analyst who regularly participates in international conferences. He is also known for his columns in Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, and English newspapers and hosts a popular political talk show on Geo...
said that the last time that he talked to Nawab Bugti, he was in the mountains and had called Mir from his satellite phone. In this last conversation with Hamid Mir, Nawab Bugti told him Your commando general will rest only after he martyrs me but after my martyrdom he will be held responsible. So now it's up to you people to either choose Musharraf or Pakistan. The choice is yours."
Funeral and rioting
Bugti's death was followed by rioting by thousands of students from the state-run Balochistan university and other balochs. As the news flashed across television screens in Pakistan, the government deployed Rangers and paramilitary forces across major cities to prevent a backlash and impose a curfew in the provincial capital, Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
. Security arrangements for the Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf have been beefed up to the highest level, and his movement has since been very restricted, fearing a retaliatory attack. Security arrangements have been further enhanced in and around all airports of Pakistan. The media both in Pakistan and outside have severely condemend the killing as the "[m]ilitary’s second biggest blunder after Bhutto’s execution" and calling it a "political nightmare". Others have likened it to the East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
crisis of 1971 where military violence eventually led to the Bangladesh Liberation War
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War was an armed conflict pitting East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan. The war resulted in the secession of East Pakistan, which became the independent nation of Bangladesh....
.
On August 27, 2006, some private media broadcast news that Bugti's grandsons, Brahamdagh and Mir Ali, are still alive, but no official confirmation has been made.
On September 1, 2006 Bugti was buried in Dera Bugti
Dera Bugti
Dera Bugti is a town in Dera Bugti District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It was the hometown of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti. Most of the inhabitants of Dera Bugti belong to the Bugti family. It is not far from the Punjab state.-Administration:...
with three locks on his coffin, next to the graves of his son and brother. His family, who wanted a public funeral in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, did not attend the burial, they protested against his body being locked in the coffin.
The Bugti grandson's consist of Brahumdagh Khan Bugti (son of Rehan Khan Bugti), Mir Aali Bugti, Kohmeer Bugti (son of Saleem Bugti), Tabish Khan Bugti (son of Agha Shahid Hassan Bugti), Taleh Bugti and Zamran Bugti (sons of saleem Bugti).
Quotes
~The general [Musharraf] has promised to hit us in such a way that we will not know what hit us. In one sense, it is quick death that he is promising us. He could do this to me, and to a few other Baloch leaders, but not to the entire Baloch nation.~Chartaceous lions are not acceptable to me,Enter the battlefield and prove that you are a lion
~Shaheed-e-Azam Nawab Akber Bugti: Hunger in Freedom is much better than replete in Slavery
~I will be beheaded but will never bow my head down before the oppressors and occupiers.
~ When you truely believe that you deserve success ,your mind will automatically generate ways to achieve it
~I Dont believe in Taking Right decisions..I Take Decisions and Make Them Right
See also
- Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo
- Mir Gul Khan Nasir
- Ataullah MengalAtaullah MengalSardar Ataullah Khan Mengal , popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, is a well-known political and feudal figure of Pakistan hailing from Balochistan. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement in Pakistan for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe...
- BugtiBugtiBugti , is a Baloch tribe located in Balochistan, Pakistan. They are divided into various clans such as Rahija, Mandawani , Kalpar, Nauthani, Masuri, Ferozani, Salamaan Zai, Mundarani, Qasimani, Shambani, Sobazai, Pahi, Maretha and Moharkanzai etc., numbering around 300,000.On a bigger scale the...
- Bugti militiaBugti militiaBugti Militia formed in Dera Bugti in Balochistan by Akbar Khan Bugti in the 1952. The Bugti Milatia had been involved in the insurgency of 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 2004 and ongoing.-History:...
- Talal Akbar BugtiTalal Akbar BugtiTalal Akbar Bugti is a Pakistani tribal leader of the Bugti tribe of Balochistan and President of the Jamhoori Watan Party....
- Brahamdagh Khan BugtiBrahamdagh Khan BugtiBrahamdagh Khan Bugti is a prominent Baloch leader and the main icon of the Baloch Freedom movement and founder and chief of Baloch Republican Party,the largest Baloch political party,struggling on one point agenda of Freedom of Balochistan. Brahamdagh Khan Bugti is the son of Nawabzada Rehan...
- Hyderabad tribunalHyderabad tribunalThe Hyderabad tribunal , also known as Hyderabad conspiracy case, is the name of a former judicial tribunal used in Pakistan to prosecute opposition politicians of the National Awami Party on the charges of treason and acting against the ideology of Pakistan.The tribunal was set up on the orders of...
Further reading
- Matheson, Sylvia A. The Tigers of Balochistan. London: Arthure Barker Limited (1967). Reprint: Oxford University Press, Karachi (1998), ISBN 0-19-577763-8.
External links
- Exclusive Interview of Brahmdagh Bugti by Qurat ul ain Siddiqui
Portrait
Video clips
- CNN Video Clip CNN Video Report on the Bugti tribe 2001
- BBC Reporters BBC Video Report on Dera Bugti, Balochistan situation 2005
- BBC Reporters BBC Video Report on Dera Bugti, Balochistan situation 2006
- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2985999376905352835&q=sardar In UrduUrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw6VR0cWBVQ Nawab Bugti come for tribal jirga halt between Marri and Bugti tribes
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W9FsdIbLYs&mode=related&search= In SindhiSindhi languageSindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
, Nawab Bugti's Profile - http://pkpolitics.com/2008/06/02/live-with-talat-2-june-2008/ An interview with Brahamdagh Bugti starting orcehstrated separatist movement against Pakistan
Audio clips
- 13.01.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 27.01.05 Voice Of America English Interview Nawab Bugti
- 17.03.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 10.04.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 15.05.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 18.12.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 19.12.05 Voice Of Germany Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 25.12.05 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 14.02.06 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 11.05.06 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 14.06.06 BBC Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- 07.07.2006 Interview of Nawab Bugti explaining how on 3 July 2006, his tribesmen foiled the Pakistani governments attempts to assassinate him for the third time using 3 fighter jets, 19 gunship helicopters which landed dozens of para-troopers and commandos (This particular clip has been blocked in Pakistan and can only be heard in countries other than Pakistan)
- 09.07.06 Voice Of America Urdu Interview Nawab Bugti
- General Musharraf talks to The Washington Post about his view of the rape vitims