Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

umer.ashraf · September 7, 2006, 2:21pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

Yes there might have been a lot of rabid things. But this a real scene from “For a few dollars more.” (movie)

The past of the West and the present of Pakistan.

PakistaniAbroad · September 7, 2006, 2:45pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

one general gave him his life.. the other took it.. He was on borrowed time anyway..

My heart goes out to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives for the country getting rid of this traitor.. and I'm specially curious about all who will mourn this scum's death but not utter a word about the shaheed's of the Army.. tells you so much about the sick liberal twisted minds.

One down.. several more to go.. (sun rahay hoa Altaf bhayya?)

umer.ashraf · September 7, 2006, 3:37pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

.:)
Every soldier (or even a common person) who risks his life in his efforts to save this country and its unity is a shaheed and deserves full respect from the nation.

(Please open a new thread for Altaf Bhayya and have your say.) :)

This is the only thread on this site that is about Akbar Bugti, a person who was a friend to Quaid, voted for this country in favor of ML, spent his time with the Government and against the government (again and again) and a person who was 80 years old and had already spent most of his life.

umer.ashraf · September 9, 2006, 11:23pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

PML-N to file FIR against ’killers’ of Akbar Bugti: Nawaz
Monday August 28, 2006
http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?152558

Opposition condemns ‘extra-judicial killing’ of Bugti
The resolutions hailed Nawab Akbar Bugti as an important personality of national and provincial politics. The opposition leaders condemned the killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti and vowed to register an FIR against the government for, what they called, extra-judicial killing.

Sons want Bugti’s body exhumed
Sons of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti have called for exhuming the body of their father under the supervision of the international commission and setting up an international medical board in order to ascertain the ‘cause of death’.

Since police would not register an FIR, they had approached the media, they said while speaking to the press for the first time since the death of Nawab Bugti on August 26.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/08/top3.htm

**Family can dig up body for DNA test: governor
**ISLAMABAD: The government is willing to allow the family of Nawab Akbar Bugti to dig up his grave and conduct a DNA test to confirm that it is indeed the body of the slain tribal chief, Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani.
http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Sep06/03/04.htm

**Mystery over Bugti’s body deepens
**http://www.dawn.com/2006/08/29/top1.htm
http://wwwc4.cricinfo.com/engvpak/content/story/258793.html

Haris · September 10, 2006, 4:58am

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

Why didnt the sons go to Dera Bugti when invited by the govt and provided helicopters, they could have recognized the body, burried it with full tribal honors as wished and so on...what were they afraid of, that the govt would kill them too!? As if...
And even if they feared so, didnt they love their father enoguh to take this risk? Now when it's all done they have a 100 arguments.
I wonder what blunder the govt has created, but if there is any truth, a DNA test should be carried out outside Pakistan asap to rest this issue.

umer.ashraf · September 10, 2006, 7:22am

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

^There were klipppppppers in Dera Bugti and even Akbar Bugti and his so-called feraris were left with no choice but to leave Dera Bugti and hide in a collapse-able cave in favor of klippppers.

In that scenario, when the Sardar of Bugti tribes (who had enopugh force to threaten army, kill the chinese and attack the government property and officials) was not able to live in Dera Bugti (and resist klippers), it was not impossible for his sons to move there. Otherwise a “mysterious” rocket, fired from some unidentified ferari camp, might have killed them as well.

Bugti was burried in Dera Bugti cause that was the area where government had itself planted its population (the klippers). They must have handed over Bugti’s dead body to his family and let them do whatever they wanted. This ws the best use of a helicopter.

Now, again the government has no intentions to make a DNA test (perhaps). Even if the body is tested for DNA and identified, the people responsible will still not face the courts until a new government is formed (or may be forever).

and it was not limited to Bugti, now this is not related to Bugti’s (or Balochistan’s) issue.

Analysis: Pakistan’s deal with ‘Taleban’ (6 sep)
The visit to Afghanistan by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf comes on the heels of a deal that could have ramifications for Afghan complaints about cross-border militancy.
..
Over the past year the army has been targeting Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives who use the lawless region as a base to launch attacks in Afghanistan. But their supporters among the local tribes were drawn into the fight, leading to fierce battles that killed hundreds.

Thousands of people were made to leave there home in Wazirastan for almost months, and hundred were killed. Add hundreds of soldiers and official who spared their lives in their efforts to fulfil their duties.

A slight change in British policy (of signing agreements with so-called local Talibans) and all this ended at a point where it initiated. No one here can accuse the soldiers for killing people of Balochistan or Waziristan, they were on duty and must obey the orders. Similarly Tribal people fired back in their defence. But the ones resoponsible for such operations definitely need punishment.

Khehkeshan · September 10, 2006, 6:19pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

If we can't punish anyone for 1971 war crimes 35 years after the fact, how can we expect anything to happen for today's crimes? This is all the legacy of army rule and the silence of Pakistanis.

system · September 10, 2006, 6:40pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

What country ever punishes anyone for past war crimes? Americans commited war crimes in Vietnam, the Japs in WW2, the Chinese in Xianging and Tibet, the Russians in Chechnya among other places, the list goes on… What country ever really goes out of its way to punish its people for their war crimes.

shawaiz_K · September 10, 2006, 8:22pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

Americans or Japanese army didn't kill its own people, whereas the pakistani army killed its own people in the former east pakistan, in Balochistan, in Sindh, in the northern areas, in FATA and still doing it in every corner of the country. Don't you get this simple point?

ikarhoon · September 10, 2006, 10:29pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

^^ I agree with you on FATA, balochistan , and sindh to some extent, but when did the army kill people in Northern areas?

Reza_Pahlavi · September 10, 2006, 10:37pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

I have just come back from Pakistan, and to a man (and woman) everyone was expressing the same sentiments i.e. that Bugti was a traitor and deserved everything he got.

Reza_Pahlavi · September 10, 2006, 10:43pm

Re: Bugti Had Asked For It

Wiseman:

Akbar Bugti was biggest anti-state rebellious parasite we saw in Pakistan who talked about Balochi rights but who’s passion was more money and power for his sirdari. He kept all Balochi people uneducated and jahil so he can keep on making them his slaves and isolate them till times to come.

There is a good article by Muhammad Abd al-Hameed about this man and I will present for you.

http://www.despardes.com/articles/sep06/20060905-bugti-asked-for-it.htm

Bugti Had Asked For It

By Muhammad Abd al-Hameed

Akbar Bugti had asked for it. He always thrived on blackmail. This time he raised the stakes too high—and lost.

He was a frog that believed his well was an ocean. Within days of the fall of Dhaka in December 1971, he declared that “Pakistan will cease to exist within 18 months.” He hoped Indira Gandhi would come to his help to create another country and make him its king.

He had to wait 35 years before an unholy alliance emerged to help him realize his dream. The intelligence agencies of the U.S., India and Afghanistan conspired to destabilize Balochistan, with each having its own objective. The U.S. wanted to create enough chaos to prevent our government from stopping covert operations into Iran if and when the Americans decided that the time had come. (Iran has many of its nuclear installations near our border to keep them as far away as possible from Israeli air strikes.) India is always keen to create trouble for us whenever it can. And anybody can rent the Afghans.

Methodical response: Big money poured in. So did weapons. Akbar, along with Marris and Mengals, formed “Balochistan Liberation Army” and hired mercenaries for subversive activities all over the country, mostly in Balochistan. A strong media campaign was started to project the subversion as a “struggle for the rights of the oppressed Balochis.” The hired guns in the media and politics raised the specter of “another Bangladesh.” The sky was about to fall—or so they claimed.

Rather than taking any knee-jerk action, the government moved methodically. It traced the sources of money and weapons and started blocking them. The farari camps were demolished as soon as located. India was given a message that it was a game that both can play.

The turning point came when conclusive evidence of subversion was shown to the U.S. President during his visit to Islamabad. The American intelligence was reined in, fearing that Taliban could be given a free hand if it was not done. The Indians received a few spectacular messages that forced them to back off. And Hamid Karzai stopped his adventurers for fear of serious consequences.

The sabotage activities, which the New York Times correspondent in Kabul glorified as “civil war,” started petering out. (However, the money and the weapons in the pipeline continued to work at a low level). Akbar read the writing on the wall. He was too arrogant to surrender but also had little hope of any success. So, he prepared his exit strategy.

Murderer fears death: Akbar, a cruel and murderous person, found it easy to kill others. (He committed his first murder when he was just 12 and killed many more afterwards. He was also jailed for one.) But he did not have the courage to face death himself. If he had an element of bravery, he would have stayed right in his home in Dera Bugti and declared that he was not going anywhere, even if he was killed. His escape to nearby mountains was just bravado and an attempt to create a positive image in the media, particularly abroad.

It is significant that he moved into a secret hiding place near Kohlu, many kilometers away from his home area. It is also significant that he had with him 100 million rupees and 96,000 dollars in cash and two satellite phones. The money was not for his mercenaries because he could not handle personally the day-to-day operations over a vast area, nor could he allow many people to visit him for fear of exposing his secret hideout. There was nothing else to buy in the desolate desert.

The only possible use of the money for Akbar could be to buy his way out of the country. (The sons of Saddam Husain, when they were killed, also had a million dollars in cash with them in their hiding place in Mosul. They too wanted to buy their way out, to neighboring Syria.)

Akbar was waiting for his men to arrange for his escape to the Makran coast and from there in a launch to the long coast of Oman, where he could get refuge. (Oman owned Gwadar until 1958 and has a substantial Baloch population. It has very close relations with the U.S. and U.K.)

Oblivious to difference: Our media and politics have the largest number of warped minds among all professions. They are oblivious of the difference between somebody being anti-government and anti state. Opposing the government is perfectly legitimate activity. (In that case too, strikes, processions and other disruptive activities for political purposes are not permissible in any democratic state). Violence in any form, destruction of vital installations, bomb blasts in urban areas and attacks on security forces are anti-state actions, not political activities.

Akbar had been anti-state all his life. He never did anything that could be interpreted to be in the national interest. He boycotted the use of the national language for quite some time only to show his hatred for the nation. He became the Governor and later the Chief Minister of Balochistan only for selfish reasons. As Governor, he did not resign in protest against the military action by Z A Bhutto in his own province. Instead, he gave it his full support because he wanted his bitter rivals, Marris and Mengals, to be crushed.

His always used rebellious behavior and violence to blackmail the successive federal governments for money, besides satisfying his enormous ego. (This money was never spent on the welfare of his people.) However, to camouflage his selfish motives, he would talk of “the rights of the Baloch people” and “the provincial autonomy.” The weak-kneed federal governments would give in and he would end up getting more money and benefits.

What “rights,” what “autonomy?” By “the rights of the Baloch people,” he meant that all natural resources in the province belonged to the Balochis. Now, nowhere in the world the provinces own the natural resources. Even an individual finding something in his own land has to surrender it to the national government. It is always the national government that exploits the natural resources in the interest of the entire nation. (If we go by his logic, Punjab should own all major rivers because they happen to pass through it and other provinces should pay royalty for every drop of water they take. The reality is that the other provinces do not allow even storage of river water in the Punjab and produce electricity from it.)

The natural gas in Balochistan was the major source that Akbar claimed belonged to his province. The payment of royalty on this gas (as well as electricity in NWFP) was the result of sheer blackmail—again for money. Bhutto had no MNAs of his party from the two provinces and hence could not give credibility to his constitution without the support of NAP that was in majority there. (Akbar too was a part of it.) NAP asked for royalty and Bhutto readily agreed. (After all, it was to be paid mostly by the Punjab, being the biggest consumer, for whom he had no love, despite coming into power primarily with its support.) Is it not curious that royalty is paid only on two natural resources and that too despite the fact that the federal government makes entire investment on production and distribution of gas and hydel electricity?

As for the provincial autonomy, the smallest provinces (NWFP and Balochistan) could get it right when the constitution was being discussed. They could ask for the deletion of the Concurrent List that gave legislative powers jointly to the federal and provincial governments so that the provinces could get all powers in the list. But they were more interested in money than autonomy. Hence they settled for royalty.

Up against a strong will. Akbar Bugti had always succeeded in his blackmail. Bolstered by the money and weapons from the intelligence agencies of the U.S., India and Afghanistan, he raised the ante too high. He might not have much hope of success in secession, but he certainly intended to drive a very hard bargain for more money and perks, with a high hope of success. (Zafarullah Jamali, as Prime Minister, had rushed to Dera Bugti to pay his respects, while others were also keen to placate him.)

However, he failed to realize the determination of the man he was up against. You can reason with President Musharraf. You can convince him with your arguments. But there is just no way to challenge him and expect the former commando to back down. Akbar had to surrender and give up his anti-state actions before he could ask for anything.

The chain of events. What happened during the last days of August can be understood if we ignore the distortions and hallucinations of the warped minds. The facts are reasonably obvious. According to newspaper reports, Akbar was out of touch with his favorites in the media for the previous two weeks, after leaving for his secret place.

On August 23, two helicopters were on a reconnaissance mission in the area. Akbar’s guards got panicky, fearing that their sardar’s hideout had been discovered and they were now under attack. They fired heavily and one of the helicopters was damaged. Another helicopter was sent to the spot to confirm the existence of a farari camp. It got still stronger fire and was also damaged. That led the law enforcement agencies to conclude that there was “a high value target” there and they decided to take ground action. (It is also possible, as a theory goes, that the Marris finally took their revenge for his excesses against them by exposing Akbar’s location with their firing.)

On learning from persons outside that Akbar was inside the cave, the army officers sent a Bugti guide in. Presumably, he informed Akbar that he was surrounded and that army officers wanted to talk to him. Realizing that resistance in this situation would be futile and an exchange of fire would end in his certain death, he agreed to let them in. It was then that the army officers entered the cave. Before going in, they obviously ensured that there was no firing from their side because that would have endangered their own lives.

There was no reason to kill Akbar Bugti. The law enforcement agencies knew quite well the likely consequences of his death. If there ever was any intention to kill Akbar, it could have been done long ago. When journalists and politicians were going on sponsored visits to him, it was not difficult at all to locate and kill him. So, his arrest from his cave would have served the purpose by destroying the morale of his mercenaries. Why get the blame for the murder of a 80-year-old sick man already nearing his end? Moreover, Bhutto was enough of a lesson for all times.

By sheer coincidence, the cave collapsed precisely when the army officers were just inside it. Some explosive device in the cave detonated accidentally. The officers, as well as those on the other side, were all killed. As an expression of poetic justice, the very land that Akbar claimed as his own, buried him alive.

Why do the warped minds not accept a plausible explanation of what had happened? If they do, they cannot blame the government. And they thrive on accusations, criticism, cynicism. No wonder, they twist, distort and misinterpret whatever does not suit them. It is not surprising that they have been calling the rebellious acts of Akbar as “political activity” and clamoring for negotiations with him. They do not realize that no government talks to the openly rebellious. There are never negotiations and no compromise with those who go for sabotage and subversion. No state treats the secessionists kindly.

What next? What will happen next? The doomsayers have a standard mindset; they always predict “more of the same” because they presume things to remain as they are. The hired hacks will continue to cry hoarse in protest for some more days. The petty politicians will continue to fish in dirty waters, egged on by Akbar’s family that has been banished by its own tribe. Then calm will prevail, with the remaining mercenaries also surrendering.

Meanwhile, the process of big changes will continue. The reality is that Balochistan is already transforming itself. Among many others, there are three major developments:

a) Law and order. The sardars will no longer control law and order and the judicial system, as they had been doing since the British colonial period. They used to recruit levies that served as their police and would decide cases the way they liked. The police and courts used to cover just 5% of the province, called A area, while the rest was B area. President Musharraf is the first ruler to have the determination to enforce the writ of the government all over Balochistan, which is almost half of the country’s area. Under a phased plan, over half of the districts are already in A rarea. The rest will be covered soon. Sardars will no longer control life and property of their tribes.

b) Development projects. The major highways, starting from Gwadar in all directions, are opening up the province, facilitating internal movement for isolated tribal people, promoting trade, (especially regional), making easier the exploration for oil, gas and other mineral resources and increase industrial development. Then there are mega projects worth Rs 135 billions. As a result, there will be jobs many times more than the entire adult population of Balochistan.

c) Agriculture. A large number of small dams are being constructed, with a total water storage capacity twice that of Tarbela Dam. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of presently barren land will come under cultivation. Those who have been nomads and shepherds for centuries will become farmers for the first time.

The current developments will bring about the greatest transformation of the region where Mehergarh was the first cradle of civilization 10,000 years ago. The tribal system, with champions like Akbar Bugti, will find itself in the dustbin of history. And the petty minds that talk today of “nationalities” will meet the same fate as that of the Soviet Union that had inspired them in the first place. As for the countries that conspired to support the insurgency will have back home far bigger problems than they had tried to cause for us. But that is another story.

On my trip to Pakistan I also managed to visit Gwadur and surrounding parts of the Makran region, and almost everybody was relieved to see the back of Bugti, and were praying that other tribal elders are put in their place. People in Gwadur, Makran and other parts of Balochistan are hungry to get ahead and get new jobs being offered as a result of all the new investment. For too long these people have had to pay heed to tribal chieftains from their home area’s even if they moved to other parts of the country. Now finally with the elimination of these thugs the Balochi people are breathing a sigh of relief.

TheRealDeal · September 11, 2006, 5:23am

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

Is that why thousands rioted and protested all over the country, esp in Balochistan?

Is that why Karachi was completely shut down on a strike to protest his murder?

Is that why newspapers were filled with editorials, vast majority of which condemned his murder?

Is that why the vast majority of Baloch (govt lotas excluded) consider him to be a martyr?

Stop your BS, your not fooling anyone

nstar777 · September 11, 2006, 5:33am

Re: Bugti Had Asked For It

Thanks for the update!! It was quite interesting and informative

TheRealDeal · September 11, 2006, 5:40am

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

More editorials, reflecting the govt murder of the 79 yr old NAwab:

The move comes in the wake of the crisis in Balochistan following the killing of Akbar Bugti, who is now seen in that province as a martyr to the cause of Baloch nationalism. Clearly it is meant to defuse the crisis of provincial autonomy that has enveloped the province and has led to the resignations of Baloch nationalists from the national and provincial parliaments. **It suggests that the government’s original assessment of the consequences of Nawab Bugti’s killing were wrong **

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\09\07\story_7-9-2006_pg3_1

TheRealDeal · September 11, 2006, 5:45am

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

A senior miltary office condoles the murder of the Nawab, comparing it to the death of Quaid

The Bugti I met

I MET Sardar (later Nawab) Bugti in 1973 when he as governor of Balochistan and Mr Khar as governor of Punjab were asked by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to join him in Paris where I was the Army and Navy attaché. At the request of my ambassador Sahibzada Yaqub Khan I offered any assistance Bugti Sahib might need in Paris. He showed interest in perfumes and my wife took us to a perfume shop whose owner she knew and who had a large collection available.

Bugti Sahib was dressed the Balochi style head to foot, a dress code he maintained throughout his stay in Paris. In the shop as Bugti Sahib became busy discerning the perfumes he would buy, the owner discreetly enquired whether the gentleman: handsome, tall, lean and extremely graceful with a flowing beard: was the ‘guru’ of Mr Bhutto. She was somewhat disappointed when told that the gentleman was the chief of an important tribe in Balochistan and the current governor of the largest province in the country.

Meantime, Sardar Bugti having made a large selection turned to me and said: “I must buy some for the family also.” When we looked surprised he explained that the current selection was for his guards who he said would lay down their lives for him and his family without asking. “They must come first,” he added. I translated that into French for the owner whose eyes immediately dimmed with moisture.

Later when I asked Nawab Bugti if he would like to have a look around the city, in his usual graceful manner he thanked me first, then said that he had joined the Sorbonne University in Paris at the age of 18 and still remembered the city’s lay like the back of his hand.

Some how the circumstances of his death have touched my heart in the same manner the passing of the Quaid, Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan, Khwaja Nazimuddin and Z. A. Bhutto died. May his soul and that of all others rest in eternal peace.

VICE ADMIRAL (r)
IQBAL F. QUADIR
Karachi

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/06/letted.htm#3

system · September 11, 2006, 2:35pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

War is war… Pakistanis are unified enough to be regarded as people.

umer.ashraf · September 11, 2006, 4:03pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

As for America and its army, there were thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) killed during its formation, i.e when they were trying to gather all states under one flag and to establish the writ of the state. Then there was a time when Negros were killed like dogs by law-enforcing agencies.

On the other hand, it was Japan’s army that was responsible for the fall of Japan (and nuclear attacks Hiroshima and Nagasaki) which resulted:
672,000 civilians dead. http://www.world-war-2.info/casualties/

It depends on the situation. Tribal areas and Balochistan are very much different from other parts of Pakistan and almost every (past) government had faced trouble in dealing with these areas (at some stage). The use of force is sometimes necessary, Bugti himself had supervised such an operation.

Pressurizing, targeting and killing political opponents is another thing though.

Reza_Pahlavi · September 11, 2006, 6:52pm

Re: Bugti Had Asked For It

My pleasure. I travelled throught Punjab, the Makran and parts of Hazara and life was continuing as normal, and if the topic of Bugti was brought up it was generally in favour of what has happened. Most people don’t give much attention to the talk of opposition politicians, as that is what these people are expected to say against the government.

But as we can see when it comes to the crunch the MMA, PPPP, PML N, ANP, and even Bugti’s JWP have not resigned their seats in the assemblies as they promised in protest against the actions against the Nawab. The PPP is busy cosying upto the government over the passage of the women’s protection bill, while the MMA takes every one for a ride. Politics in Pakistan (as elsewhere) is not about what people say - it’s about what they actucally do. So far for all their talk the opposition have not done anything substantive like resigning their seats.

Poodenay_Ki_Chutney · September 11, 2006, 7:03pm

Re: Nawab Akbar Bugti Killed (MERGED)

Well Said PA :shabash:

Here are my views

*NAB, No I am not talking about the national accountability bureau, rather about Nawab Akbar Bugti not that they don’t have anything in common, one persecutes people responsible for corruption on behalf of the government and the other holds the government responsible for their own corruption. I would like to congratulate the proud people of Pakistan for their fierce resistance and struggle against the Pakistani government for the untimely death of NAB.

No doubt NAB was a hero why wouldn’t he be. A tribal chief who blows bridges, Gas and electric lines, organizes terrorist activity and funds it. Who has an army of his own, his own jails, and judicial system which run parallel to the states system. A person who flies’s black flags on 14th august and openly rejects the Pakistani army. A person who shakes hands with our arch rivals and accepts their offer to plunder and destroy Pakistan’s infrastructure and development. A guy who harasses and tortures his own people if they ever dare to raise their voice against him. A guy who accepts heavy development funds from the government for his tribe and uses it for his own personal gains, keeping his people illiterate and deprived. To top it all of a person who confronts the army head to head and kills his own country’s army personnel.

With a colorful resume like Nawab sahabs that would put any thug’s, serial killer, thieve, terrorists, career to shame it would be extremely sad to see that our proud Pakistani people(those who support bugti) would not mourn his death. On the contrary the reaction is a 100% predictable Bugti hadn’t landed from Mars nor Have our politicians who are using this episode to gain political mileage they are all Pakistanis. This reaction is what is expected from any dishonest , unfair, and corrupt people(those who support bugti) and I can proudly say we have passed the test with flying colors.*