Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti

Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was the son of Nawab Mehrab Khan Bugti. He was born in 1931 and when he was only twelve, his father died. He took his primary education from Karachi and did his Cambridge from Atchison College Lahore. Then he went abroad for higher education and did his Bar-at-Law from Oxford University. When he came back, he appeared in the competitive exams and got first position in the Baluchistan but he didn’t join the civil services.
His political career started in 1960 when he joined National Awami Party. But he couldn’t participate in the 1970 elections because of a case of murder filed against him. Due to some differences, Bugti left NAP and supported Bhutto. He met Bhutto in Masco and accepted his offer for the post of Governor of Baluchistan. Nawab Bugti, however, demanded non-interference of the central government in the provincial politics. He held that office for only eight months and then he went to London. After a long absence from politics, he participated in the 1988 elections on the ticket of BNM and became Chief Minister. Once again he held that position for a short period. In 1990 he decided to establish his own political party ‘Jamhuri Watan Party’. Many members of BNM joined JWP under the influence of Nawab Bugti. Three times he was elected as the member of the National Assembly. In 1992, Bugti’s young son was killed and as a result Bugti left all political activities and came back to his native place ‘Dera Bugti’.

There are a number of installations of Sui Gas in Sui and an agreement had been made between the local people and the government in 1953. But somehow or other this agreement was not implemented, so the local people have lot of grievances against the Central Government. In the years 2000 the previous agreement came to an end and the establishment wanted to have a new agreement. But Bugti pointed out that government had not fulfilled the previous agreement. He demanded that the local people of Dera Bugti should be given better jobs in these gas companies and the local young engineers who want to serve in these companies should be given priority. Nawab Bugti is also against the establishment of new cantonments in areas like Dera Bugti, Sui etc. He is of the view that development of an area doesn’t depend on the establishment of cantonments. If the government is really serious to develop an area, it can do it even without a cantonment there. The government should take provincial government and the local people in to confidence before taking vital decisions.