Instead of arresting the officer, authorities, under direct orders from President General Musharraf, who was also the military chief, attempted to protect him.
The victim was first sent to a psychiatric facility in Karachi, subjecting her to defamation, and eventually harassed into leaving Pakistan.
As state authorities attempted to cover up the incident, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, chief of the Bugti tribe, condemned the rape as a violation of their tribal code and vowed to avenge it “at all costs.” This sparked an uprising in Balochistan, with a series of attacks by Baloch rebels on military and PPL installations. The Pakistani state responded with its military might, launching a military campaign against the Baloch tribes led by Bugtis, and General Musharaf mobilized nearly 5,000 additional troops to the region. For a Baloch nationalist like tribal chief Nawab Sardar Akbar Khan Bugti, this was as if life had come full circle.
Nawab Bugti was born on 12 July 1927 in Dera Bugti, Balochistan, son of the chief of the Bugti tribe, Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti. He received his early education at Karachi Grammar School, the second oldest private school in South Asia, before attending Aitchison College Lahore. Akbar Bugti completed his college education from Oxford University before entering the political arena of Pakistan.
He assumed tribal chieftaincy by becoming the 19th Tumandar (chief) of his Bugti tribe following the death of his father, allowing him a greater role in the region's tribal affairs. Nawab Akbar Bugti won his first election in 1958 by contest a National Assembly election, paving his way to become federal interior minister in Prime Minister Malik Feroze Khan Noon's government before he was dismissed under Pakistan's military-backed declaration of martial law by President General division. Sikandar Ali Mirza months later.
As he was banned from holding any office by General Ayyub Khan's administration during an impeachment trial in 1960, Akbar Bugti continued to voice Baloch issues as the region witnessed recurring anti-government nationalist movements.
He assumed a public role in February 1973 as provincial governor of Balochistan when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's relationship with Ataullah Mengal, who headed the National Awami Party (NAP) government in the province, became precarious and plunged the region into anarchy. As the Bhutto-led federal government adopted an overbearing militaristic approach against the Baloch leaders, Akbar Bugti resigned from his governorship in November 1974.
Tribal chief Bugti took over as chief minister of Balochistan in February 1989, when he led the Balochistan National Alliance (BNA) to victory.
Akbar Bugti once again took a firm stand against the Benazir Bhutto-led federal government's exploitative treatment of the region, seeking greater control over its resources and security matters. As such, he resigned in August 1990 when the governor dissolved the provincial assembly on the orders of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was nudged by Prime Minister Bhutto to dismiss the Bugti government.
Although he launched his own political group, the Jumhoori Watan Party (JWP), and returned to the provincial assembly before joining the National Assembly in 1993, he continued to advocate for internal autonomy for Balochistan. He pushed for the provincial government to have greater control over regional resources, including oil and gas plants, and called for a moratorium on land acquisition by the Pakistan army to build more cantonments in the province.
While advancing age led Nawab Akbar Bugti to focus on tribal affairs, he remained a strong advocate of Baloch grievances against the federal government of Pakistan as one of the three most prominent tribal chiefs, along with Ataullah Mengal of the Mengal tribe and Khair Baksh Marri of Marri tribe. . This triumvirate continued to highlight Baloch issues. In September 2004, Bugti submitted a 15-point charter of demands to the Pervez Musharraf government, which included calls for provincial autonomy for Balochistan, greater control over resources, local government authority for implement and collect revenue from mega projects, return of land acquired by Pakistan Army, cessation of construction of cantonments, dissolution of ISI-controlled militias in Marri, internal security by provincial police and liberation of all political prisoners.
Despite these demands, the federal government continued to ignore Baloch grievances, and the Pakistan Army unleashed its military might against the Baloch people under the pretext of the US war on terrorism. The rape of Dr. Shazia by an army officer at the Sui gas field hospital was more than just a catalyst; It was seen as a significant affront to local traditions and tribal codes of honour, exacerbated by General Musharraf's shielding of the culprit from investigation.
Calls by Akbar Bugti, a septuagenarian Baloch resistance figure, to avenge the doctor's honor inspired a series of attacks on PPL facilities, gas pipelines and military installations by various Baloch groups, including the Bugti and Marri militias and the Liberation of Balochistan. Army (BLA).For Bugti, this marked a full circle journey, from playing a marginal role in the Baloch resistance to holding government positions and declaring war against the oppressive Pakistani state.
With Balochistan in suspense following Bugti's calls, General Musharraf warned the Baloch nationalists that they could no longer "hit, run and hide in the mountains. This time they would not know what will hit them." The Pakistan Army's desperation was evident when it bombed and bombed the residence of Akbar Bugti on March 17, 2005, killing 67 people in an attempt to silence this deep and veteran voice of Balochistan. This arrogant response only made Akbar Bugti a unifying figure for all Baloch people, who united behind his calls, including armed groups attacking military and state symbols.
Displaying its colonial and imperialist attitudes, the federal government of Pakistan consistently refused to engage with the Baloch leaders on their grievances and demands, as stated in the 15-point charter. For example, in December 2005, General Musharraf He accused the Bugti-led triumvirate of tribal chiefs of destabilizing Balochistan, ruled out any negotiations and declared that his government was determined to "wipe out" the Baloch tribal chiefs and their groups.
In June 2006, just two months before his assassination, Nawab Bugti stated in an interview with the BBC that “the Pakistani government is communicating with us by using these cannons, fighter jets and deep penetration bombs; These are such good dialogues that they are having loud discussions with us.”
Akbar Bugti, along with dozens of his associates, was killed by the Pakistan Army on August 26, 2006, when Pakistani forces bombed a mountain cave in the Bhamboor Hills of Dera Bugti. His assassination sparked a large-scale civil disobedience movement in the region and became the starting point of the fifth phase of the Baloch insurgency since 1947, which aimed to liberate the province from Pakistani control. Furthermore, the assassination of Bugti unified the tribes and internationalized the Baloch struggle, as demonstrated by the great jirga organized by the Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud, on September 21, 2006.
This jirga included the participation of 83 tribal chiefs and more than 300 tribal elders, and adopted a declaration calling on the United Nations (UN) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to investigate Bugti's murder and end the arrogance of the Pakistanis. State and army. The struggle of the Baloch people finally got the international media attention it truly deserved after enduring the arrogance of the Pakistani state for decades.
After years of legal battle and protests by Baloch nationalists, finally on July 11, 2012, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Sibi, Balochistan, issued arrest warrants for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and several other senior officials. rank who were accused of involvement in the murder of Akbar Bugti. The other officials included former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, former Governor of Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, former Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Mohammad Yousaf, former Provincial Interior Minister Shoaib Nosherwani and former Deputy Commissioner Abdul Samad Lasi.
All these were named suspects in the F.I.R. recorded by the police about the murder of Bugti in the military operation. Musharraf was even formally arrested by a Balochistan police team on June 13, 2013, however, he was later granted bail due to his poor health and ultimately due to no evidence being presented, putting thus an end to the investigation, which was more of an eyewash.
The legend of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti continues to inspire Baloch nationalists to this day as the Baloch struggle persists. Bugti once commented: “We won't be there forever. But I am sure that our next generations will continue my mission until the achievement of Baloch rights.” After his demise, the statement turned out to be prophetic.However, as the Baloch people prepare to celebrate Akbar Bugti's birth anniversary on July 12, it is fitting that his work for the cause of Baloch rights and especially in unification of the Baloch nation be truly recognized and propagated while continuing to expose the role of the Pakistani government. in his murder.
The victim was first sent to a psychiatric facility in Karachi, subjecting her to defamation, and eventually harassed into leaving Pakistan.
As state authorities attempted to cover up the incident, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, chief of the Bugti tribe, condemned the rape as a violation of their tribal code and vowed to avenge it “at all costs.” This sparked an uprising in Balochistan, with a series of attacks by Baloch rebels on military and PPL installations. The Pakistani state responded with its military might, launching a military campaign against the Baloch tribes led by Bugtis, and General Musharaf mobilized nearly 5,000 additional troops to the region. For a Baloch nationalist like tribal chief Nawab Sardar Akbar Khan Bugti, this was as if life had come full circle.
Nawab Bugti was born on 12 July 1927 in Dera Bugti, Balochistan, son of the chief of the Bugti tribe, Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti. He received his early education at Karachi Grammar School, the second oldest private school in South Asia, before attending Aitchison College Lahore. Akbar Bugti completed his college education from Oxford University before entering the political arena of Pakistan.
He assumed tribal chieftaincy by becoming the 19th Tumandar (chief) of his Bugti tribe following the death of his father, allowing him a greater role in the region's tribal affairs. Nawab Akbar Bugti won his first election in 1958 by contest a National Assembly election, paving his way to become federal interior minister in Prime Minister Malik Feroze Khan Noon's government before he was dismissed under Pakistan's military-backed declaration of martial law by President General division. Sikandar Ali Mirza months later.
As he was banned from holding any office by General Ayyub Khan's administration during an impeachment trial in 1960, Akbar Bugti continued to voice Baloch issues as the region witnessed recurring anti-government nationalist movements.
He assumed a public role in February 1973 as provincial governor of Balochistan when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's relationship with Ataullah Mengal, who headed the National Awami Party (NAP) government in the province, became precarious and plunged the region into anarchy. As the Bhutto-led federal government adopted an overbearing militaristic approach against the Baloch leaders, Akbar Bugti resigned from his governorship in November 1974.
Tribal chief Bugti took over as chief minister of Balochistan in February 1989, when he led the Balochistan National Alliance (BNA) to victory.
Akbar Bugti once again took a firm stand against the Benazir Bhutto-led federal government's exploitative treatment of the region, seeking greater control over its resources and security matters. As such, he resigned in August 1990 when the governor dissolved the provincial assembly on the orders of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was nudged by Prime Minister Bhutto to dismiss the Bugti government.
Although he launched his own political group, the Jumhoori Watan Party (JWP), and returned to the provincial assembly before joining the National Assembly in 1993, he continued to advocate for internal autonomy for Balochistan. He pushed for the provincial government to have greater control over regional resources, including oil and gas plants, and called for a moratorium on land acquisition by the Pakistan army to build more cantonments in the province.
While advancing age led Nawab Akbar Bugti to focus on tribal affairs, he remained a strong advocate of Baloch grievances against the federal government of Pakistan as one of the three most prominent tribal chiefs, along with Ataullah Mengal of the Mengal tribe and Khair Baksh Marri of Marri tribe. . This triumvirate continued to highlight Baloch issues. In September 2004, Bugti submitted a 15-point charter of demands to the Pervez Musharraf government, which included calls for provincial autonomy for Balochistan, greater control over resources, local government authority for implement and collect revenue from mega projects, return of land acquired by Pakistan Army, cessation of construction of cantonments, dissolution of ISI-controlled militias in Marri, internal security by provincial police and liberation of all political prisoners.
Despite these demands, the federal government continued to ignore Baloch grievances, and the Pakistan Army unleashed its military might against the Baloch people under the pretext of the US war on terrorism. The rape of Dr. Shazia by an army officer at the Sui gas field hospital was more than just a catalyst; It was seen as a significant affront to local traditions and tribal codes of honour, exacerbated by General Musharraf's shielding of the culprit from investigation.
Calls by Akbar Bugti, a septuagenarian Baloch resistance figure, to avenge the doctor's honor inspired a series of attacks on PPL facilities, gas pipelines and military installations by various Baloch groups, including the Bugti and Marri militias and the Liberation of Balochistan. Army (BLA).For Bugti, this marked a full circle journey, from playing a marginal role in the Baloch resistance to holding government positions and declaring war against the oppressive Pakistani state.
With Balochistan in suspense following Bugti's calls, General Musharraf warned the Baloch nationalists that they could no longer "hit, run and hide in the mountains. This time they would not know what will hit them." The Pakistan Army's desperation was evident when it bombed and bombed the residence of Akbar Bugti on March 17, 2005, killing 67 people in an attempt to silence this deep and veteran voice of Balochistan. This arrogant response only made Akbar Bugti a unifying figure for all Baloch people, who united behind his calls, including armed groups attacking military and state symbols.
Displaying its colonial and imperialist attitudes, the federal government of Pakistan consistently refused to engage with the Baloch leaders on their grievances and demands, as stated in the 15-point charter. For example, in December 2005, General Musharraf He accused the Bugti-led triumvirate of tribal chiefs of destabilizing Balochistan, ruled out any negotiations and declared that his government was determined to "wipe out" the Baloch tribal chiefs and their groups.
In June 2006, just two months before his assassination, Nawab Bugti stated in an interview with the BBC that “the Pakistani government is communicating with us by using these cannons, fighter jets and deep penetration bombs; These are such good dialogues that they are having loud discussions with us.”
Akbar Bugti, along with dozens of his associates, was killed by the Pakistan Army on August 26, 2006, when Pakistani forces bombed a mountain cave in the Bhamboor Hills of Dera Bugti. His assassination sparked a large-scale civil disobedience movement in the region and became the starting point of the fifth phase of the Baloch insurgency since 1947, which aimed to liberate the province from Pakistani control. Furthermore, the assassination of Bugti unified the tribes and internationalized the Baloch struggle, as demonstrated by the great jirga organized by the Khan of Kalat, Mir Suleman Daud, on September 21, 2006.
This jirga included the participation of 83 tribal chiefs and more than 300 tribal elders, and adopted a declaration calling on the United Nations (UN) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to investigate Bugti's murder and end the arrogance of the Pakistanis. State and army. The struggle of the Baloch people finally got the international media attention it truly deserved after enduring the arrogance of the Pakistani state for decades.
After years of legal battle and protests by Baloch nationalists, finally on July 11, 2012, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Sibi, Balochistan, issued arrest warrants for former military ruler Pervez Musharraf and several other senior officials. rank who were accused of involvement in the murder of Akbar Bugti. The other officials included former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, former Governor of Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, former Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Mohammad Yousaf, former Provincial Interior Minister Shoaib Nosherwani and former Deputy Commissioner Abdul Samad Lasi.
All these were named suspects in the F.I.R. recorded by the police about the murder of Bugti in the military operation. Musharraf was even formally arrested by a Balochistan police team on June 13, 2013, however, he was later granted bail due to his poor health and ultimately due to no evidence being presented, putting thus an end to the investigation, which was more of an eyewash.
The legend of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti continues to inspire Baloch nationalists to this day as the Baloch struggle persists. Bugti once commented: “We won't be there forever. But I am sure that our next generations will continue my mission until the achievement of Baloch rights.” After his demise, the statement turned out to be prophetic.However, as the Baloch people prepare to celebrate Akbar Bugti's birth anniversary on July 12, it is fitting that his work for the cause of Baloch rights and especially in unification of the Baloch nation be truly recognized and propagated while continuing to expose the role of the Pakistani government. in his murder.
