Adil Najam
Government sources in Pakistan have just announced that Nawab Akbar Bugti, chief of the Bugti tribe, veteran politician, and senior Baluchistan leader, has been killed in a shootout between “tribal militants and government forces” in Balochistan.
This is very sad and disturbing news that cannot bode well for anyone. While details are still coming in, BBC reports:
The battle near his mountain hideout in south-west Pakistan also caused heavy casualties on both sides, reports say. More than 20 soldiers and at least 30 rebels died, officials say. The octogenarian has been at the head of a tribal campaign to win political autonomy and a greater share of revenue from Balochistan’s gas reserves. “It is confirmed, Nawab Bugti has been killed in an operation,” Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told Reuters news agency. The battle reportedly took place near the town of Dera Bugti, not far from Mr Bugti’s hideout.
According to a newsflash posted on The News website:
Jamhori Watan Party (JWP) chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in a historical operation carried out by security forces in Kohlu and Murree tribal areas on Saturday night, Federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani confirmed… Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem termed Akbar Bugti’s death an incident which could worsen security situation in Pakistan.
The death, and the manner of death, of the veteran Baluch leader will indeed worsen the security situation in Baluchistan and exacerbate the feeling of marginalization amongst Baluchis. Nawab Bugti had, at various points in his life, ‘butted heads’ with just about all major leaders in Pakistan. His recent standoff with the Musharraf government was not the highpoint of his own political career but it may well be the lowest point of the Musharraf rule. However, more than the implications on immediate politics – which will become more clear and more pronounced over the next many days – this marks a tragic end to the life of an important political leader.
Born on July 12, 1927, Nawab Bugto was a ‘ tribal’ who was educated at Oxford, England, Aitchison College, Lahore and Karachi Grammar School and has served as Governor and Chief Minister of Baluchistan. Mr. Bugti’s legacy was clearly a mixed one and will be much debated and much dissected. He was, however, a major leader and this was indeed a sad and tragic way to go.
Sometime I drop my kid to school. When I see kids arguing with each other and find one getting particularly nasty and unreasonable my immediate instinct is to spank him real hard. But I restrain myself for three reasons. One, it seems inelegant to spank a kid in public; two, this may not really help the kid improve his future behavior, and, three, he or his guardian might retaliate. Therefore I try to stop the aggressive kid by being as reasonable and polite as I possibly can.
Now to Mr. Adnan Siddiqi and Mr. NL, if you ever have time to look up Pakistani newspapers of 1970 you will find exactly the same vocabulary used for Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman by people in Punjab and Karachi that you are using today for Bugti.
You may dislike Bugti for so many different reasons, but let us not lose sight of some of the facts:
* Bugti was not a secessionist.
* He was not a mad mulla or a terrorist (in fact, all Baloch nationalist leaders were anti-mulla and anti-Taliban)
* He had entered into an agreement with the current government last year to cease hostilities. The government neither implemented the agreement nor disclosed the reasons fro not implementing it
* He always demanded greater autonomy for the province and greater share in the resources of the province.
he was not a “person with a different view point” he was a bloody murderer…all of them are ghundas. whether its the bugtis or the bhuttos..or the several others who last names make us pakistanis skip a beatt in fear……whoever said it was right “one down a few more to go”…No one is celebrating or cheering his death…us pakistani’s who have endured this ghunda gardi for years are taking a sigh of relief…like “jaan chootii”..yes he may have helped out the Dr. Shazia who was unfortunately raped..and her mother must pray for him daily..but u don’t help one and kill three just because “u r of a diffeent opinion” from the ones u r killing in cold blood.
Agar aap ke gunahoo ka palra bhari hoga to ap ki maut/katal par log sukh ka sans hi lain ge
If we see that people start celebrating someones death, an old man like Bugt…
Naveed your comment was overlooked.First I never claimed I am some good muslim.Did I?I might be infinite time worst than any muslim on earth.If i refute your baseless statment like secularism approach of Jinnah then it doesnt mean i am pretendnig to be a good muslim.This forum is not to discuss my personality.
Since you have brought Islam in middle then you would have more knowledge than me that Islam also gave laws to punish a person?or *muslims* SHOULDNT be punished because they are muslims?
State within a state-Not appreciated anyway.Read Time’s article .Its an intresting to read his aim;remove musharraf thatswhy he did fire rockets when the president was at kohlo.That *old* man was out of control.There was no alternate way to handle such elements.was it?if yes then what was that?
@Onlloker: Bugti might be shaheed for few like Zulfiqar Bhutto but for masses he *is* a traitor and he has proved it himsef by establishing his own army and state.
if anyone thinks that this action has ‘solved’ the problem of feudalism orof the sardari system or of the concerns of smaller provinces. then dream on. it will unleash far more than it has solved.
Just because someone has a different viewpoint to one’s own one doesn’t mean one has to kill him. That is perhaps one of the many definitions of the word being ‘civilized’.
Negotiations were going on between Akbar Bugti and Ch. Shujaat Hussain (accompanied by Mushahid Hussain). These two PML(Q) leaders forwarded the finalised agreement to Musharraf.
Did Musharraf listen to his handpicked politicians?
No, he opted to listen to his DG of Military Intelligence and the idiot Chairman of PPL who proclaimed himself to be an expert on the Bugtis by reason of PPL’s presence in Sui. For those not in the know, the DG of ISI opposed these views on grounds of the political realities in Balochistan. But Musharraf decided to ignore the ISI on this occasion and opted to go for the bullet.
Everyone may say what they like about Akbar Bugti – the fact remains he voted for Pakistan in 1947, he was a governor and chief minister of Balochistan. (And I don’t care what someone’s Dad in PPL once said, it is irrelavent) .The fact that a gung-ho mental pygmy opted to eliminate Bugti speaks loudly for the mess that Pakistan is in.
Anyone who disagrees with Musharraf these days (so a retired Lt-General and a recent former close associate of his told me this week) is regarded as a traitor to Pakistan as far our General-in-Power is concerned.
Just to put all these commentors in the true picture, just imagine if Musharraf participated in this discussion and someone happened to disagree with his views, what would your future be?
I would say your phones would be tapped, then perhaps you might get picked up by the agencies and become one of the ‘disappeared’. In an extreme case you might have to take a bullet like Akbar Bugti.
It’s time to get real and not just verbally fart in the wind….