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.
Obaid firstly the sentimentaly of your post aside, Bugti was not asking for provincial autonomy. He recieved Rs. 150 million every year in royalities for natural gas from SUI and was paid $2 million every month for protection of PPL installations and pipeline. A concervative estimate of his personal estate is Rs. 670 billion. All this money went into his personal treasure chest and not towards development of Baluchistan. When other leaders in Baluchistan claimed that this money should be given to province instead of Bugti for the development of Baluchistan he refused. The negotiation he wanted with the government was to revise royalty payment to him as well as concessions for trading personally done by him.
The money he was receiving was never spent om development of Baluch people or even the people living on his land. On the contrary, he continued to spend money on maintaining his private army and jails. he also failed to provide protection to PPL property, even though he was paid millions to protect it. He only used the platform of provincial autonomy/Independence of Baluchistan after the government refused to negotiate royalty agreements for his personal gain.
Whether Bugti was heading BLA or not is a point of moot, however, he was there biggest spokesperson. However, unlike BLA who allegedly is working towards greater good of Balochistan, Bugti was only interested in his personal gain.
Lastly, I agree with you completely on your point about Mullahs.
Asma, you are absolutely right that the only thing that should be of concern is the unrest in the country. The government would be wise to spend resources to provide basic amenities to people of Baluchistan. They government has to show these people that they are priority and would not be sidelined as separatists have been claiming. We have to make the people of Baluchistan a force against the nawabs and other lands lords to bring stability to the province.
Azad Khan, I think you are extremely misguided in your opinions. India has many ethnic backgrounds, UK has many ethnic backgrounds, USA has many ethnic backgrounds and they all live together. The only time ethnicity becomes an issue is when favouritism and nepotism is used to promote one ethnicity over the other and secondly, when corrupt leaders use ethnicity to promote their own personal agendas.
ATP administration, sorry for a long post. I apologise for not following the guidelines and hope to be excused.
Asma, you say: “I don’t want to see Quaid’s vision bloodstained and dead”
Quid’s Pakistan was blood stained and died in 1971 when its Eastern wing seceded and became Bangla Desh
Ken Bhatti, You say: “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So there may be some reaction by Bugtis”.
Why do you expect only SOME reaction by Bugtis when the law you quote says EQUAL and OPPOSITE reaction?
Azad Khan, this is the first time I am hearing the word “pakhtoonis”. Say that in front of a Pakhtoon or Pushtoon, he will laugh you out of the room
Jyoti, there are many mysteries yet to be explained, but it is possible that a person may die when a tunnel or a cave collapses on him but his glasses remain intact. I say this because once my glasses fell on a street in Boston and a large Cheverlote ran over them but other than a few scratches on the frame nothing happened to the glasses.
Latest report in “Dawn”:
Authorities on Friday buried a locked coffin containing the remains of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, .. officials including Abdul Samad Lasi, the area’s top government official, said. Only 20 people, including government officials and Dera Bugti community leaders, attended the burial. …Journalists at the graveyard demanded that the coffin be opened so they could see Bugti’s body. But Lasi refused, telling reporters it is “illegal to show his face” and that he and a local cleric had earlier viewed the body and confirmed it to be Bugti’s. “The body was badly decomposed. It was not in a condition to have been shown,” Lasi said after a short graveside prayer service was held.” However the DCO showed the intact glasses and wrist watch showing time 8:10 of Akbar Bugti.”
Srange, that a man gets “killed” when the cave he was hiding in collapse, but his glasses remain intact??? highly suspicious.
Mr. Azad Khan
Can you please provide a reference and teh exact wokding of the treaty clause you are refering to, since my understanding of its intent, its wording and its validity is very different from what you suggest. Second, can you provide a full reference to the ‘Punjabi magazine’ you mention. It sounds a little dubious, especially since you do not provide the name of the magazine but do provide the year. I will wait for those details. Thanks.
i would agree with asma as the war in between agencies will not let balochistan be a part of pakistan, not this only even the pakhtoon dominated regions will also fall in afghanistan thats why i am saying that get back to history in which u will find that 75% balochistan and 95% NWFP was a part of afghanistan and in 1893 Sir Durand gave the now-pakistani land to that time british government with this committment that it will be handovered to afghanistan in 1994 but it has not happend as in 1994 Taliban was operating in afghanistan. The fact is you cannot gather n combine different ethinical groups in one country such as in pakistan as it will have lot of cultural clashes. The two nations theory was based on religion presented by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan but we hv to realize that Pakhtoons or Balochis are initially at first Pakhtoonis n Balochis and after this they can be ranked as muslims n pakistanis. Living in Karachi or Islamabad will not show you the best picture of balochistan, I just came in from the recent riots from balochistan which turned the life to zero. You cannot compare balochistan with other provinces and it cannot also be blamed on Sardards or Nawab as they been fed & directed by Governments. I hv seen numbers of new Akbar bugtis emerging in the province and they may create some problem for the government. In 1968 a Punjabi Megazine says that further unity of Pakistan will devided punjabis far more and that is true. Actually the modus operandi of a government in Pakistan seems to be out of think tanks controls, as it is not being operated the way the government are operated in UK, USA or Germany where goverment has thinkers, planners & ideologists to let government know about its next feasible action. In these countries they are not the presidents or prime ministers who decide about the future of a lord or a land but they always consult – but – in pakistan it is totally different, military government takes action and than cannot face the level of reactions.