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Akbar Bugti
Akbar Bugti | |
|---|---|
| اکبر شہباز خان بُگٹی अकबर शहबाज़ खान बुग्टी Akabara Śahabāza Khāna Bugṭī | |
.jpg) Bugti in 1970s | |
| 6th Chief Minister of Balochistan | |
| In office 4 February 1989 – 6 August 1990 | |
| Governor | Muhammad Musa Khan |
| Chief Minister | Ghulam Khan Korejo |
| Preceded by | Khuda Bakhsh Marri (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Taj Muhammad Jamali |
| 4th Governor of Balochistan | |
| In office 15 February 1973 – 22 November 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo |
| Succeeded by | Ahmad Yar Ahmedzai |
| Minister of State for Defence | |
| In office 19 December 1957 – 8 April 1958 | |
| President | Iskander Mirza |
| Prime Minister | Feroz Khan Noon |
| 19th Tumandar of the Bugti Tribe | |
| Preceded by | Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti |
| Succeeded by | Nawab Aali Khan Bugti |
| Leader of Jamhoori Wattan Party | |
| In office 1989–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Talal Akbar Bugti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 July 1926 Barkhan, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Died | 26 August 2006 (aged 80) Kohlu, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Political party | Jamhoori Watan Party |
| Spouse(s) | 3 wives |
| Children | Talal Akbar Bugti Salal Bugti |
| Relatives | Shahbaz Khan Bugti (grandfather) Brahumdagh Bugti (grandson) Shahzain Bugti (grandson) Gohram Bugti (grandson) |
| Residence | Dera Bugti, Balochistan |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Tumandar of Bugti Tribe, politician |
Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti (12 July 1926 – 26 August 2006) was a prominent Pakistani politician and the leader (Tumandar) of the Bugti tribe among the Baloch people. He held several important positions, including Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province. Additionally, he served as Minister of State for Defence in Feroz Khan Noon's cabinet, having previously been the Minister of State for Interior.
Bugti was actively involved in a movement, sometimes using armed resistance, to demand more autonomy for Balochistan. The Pakistani government accused him of maintaining a private militia and waging guerrilla warfare against the state. On 26 August 2006, Bugti was killed when his hideout, a cave in Kohlu located around 150 miles east of Quetta, collapsed.
Early life and family
Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti was born on 12 July 1926 in Dera Bugti, which is now part of Balochistan. He was the son of Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti, the chief of their tribe, and the grandson of Sir Shahbaz Khan Bugti. Akbar received his early education at Karachi Grammar School and later attended Aitchison College after the death of his father. He eventually went on to study at Oxford University. Following his father’s passing, he became the tumandar (chief) of the Bugti tribe.
Nawab Akbar Bugti had three wives and a total of thirteen children, including six sons and seven daughters. His first wife bore him four sons: Nawabzada Saleem Bugti, Talal Bugti, Rehan Bugti, and Salal Bugti; however, none of them are alive today. Nawabzada Salal Bugti was killed in a shootout in Quetta in June 1996, involving a rival Bugti Kalpar sub-clan. From his second wife, he had a son named Jamil Bugti, and from his third wife, he had another son named Shahzwar Bugti. Jamil Bugti and Shahzwar Bugti are the only surviving sons of Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Akbar Bugti had five daughters with his first wife: Durr-e-Shahwar (who has passed away), Nilofer, Nazli (also deceased), Durdana, and Zareen. From his second wife, he had two daughters: Shahnaz Marri, who is married to Humayun Marri, a relative of Nawab Khair Bux Marri, and Farah Naz Bugti, who is married to Bivragh Bugti, the son of Nawabzada Ahmad Nawaz Bugti, Akbar Bugti's brother. Shahnaz and Farah are sisters to Jamil Bugti.
The grandchildren of Bugti include Nawab Mohammad Mir Aali Bugti, who is the current Nawab of the Bugti Tribe, along with Shaheed Mohammad Mir Zong Bugti, Shaheed Mohammad Mir Taleh Bugti, Mohammad Mir Zamran Bugti (Chairman of P.J.W.P), and Mohammad Mir Kohmir Bugti (Vice Chairman of P.J.W.P). These are the sons of the late Nawabzada Saleem Akbar Khan Bugti. Additionally, there is Mir Brahamdagh and his two sisters, who are the children of Rehan Bugti, and Mir Shahzain, who is the President of J.W.P, along with Mir Gohram and Mir Chakar, the sons of Talal Bugti. There are also two granddaughters (daughters of Salal Akbar Bugti).
Insurgency in Balochistan
Akbar Bugti was not as prominent in the Baloch nationalist movement compared to other leaders like Khair Bux Marri or Ataullah Mengal. He primarily focused on the interests of his own tribe, particularly his sub-tribe.
Tensions rose in 2005 when Bugti submitted a 15-point agenda to the Pakistani government. His demands included greater control over the province's resources and a halt to the establishment of military bases. He also sought nearly a 50% share of all funds allocated for development in the province. During this period, attacks on the Pakistan Army increased, including a notable incident in 2005 where a helicopter was targeted, resulting in injuries to the head of Pakistan's Frontier Corps and his deputy.
In March 2006, a bus filled with wedding guests struck an anti-tank mine in Dera Bugti, leading to the deaths of 28 people, most of whom were women and children, and injuring 7 others. Many of the victims were from the Masoori Bugti tribe, which had opposed Akbar Bugti's leadership. Akbar Bugti took responsibility for the bus attack, while Abdul Samad Lasi, a district chief, reported that militants under Bugti's command had planted hundreds of mines on dirt roads throughout Dera Bugti. The purpose of these mines was to target local security forces. He further stated that Pakistani security troops had managed to disarm many of the landmines placed in the region.