The people of Balochistan celebrated the 14th death anniversary of their leader Nawab Akbar Bugti who was killed in 2006 by Pakistan Army under the orders of then-President and dictator, Parvez Musharraf.
Nawab Akbar Bugti was the head of the Bugti tribe of Baloch people who served as the Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province in Pakistan and enjoyed huge political and moral support from his people.
Bugti was known to be a tolerant man who respected the rights of the minorities and once said, ” Hindu and Sikhs have been living with us for many decades and they have become an integral part of our Bugti tribe. We have and will always have religious freedom for Hindus and Sikhs. If people of any other religion or community come to us, they’ll have their freedom to practice their beliefs as well, just like we do in our Mosques, Mandir and Gurudawara.”. During the military operations in Balochistan, Nawab Bugti gave shelter to several Hindu families in 2005.
However, in 2006 he was killed and the order was given by General Musharraf who was also the architect of Kargil war with India. In 2012, a Pakistani court had issued arrest warrants against Musharraf, but he is yet to see a day behind the prison cell.
Just recently a Baloch youth named Hayat was brutally gunned down by Pakistans Paramilitary forces. Over the years, people of Balochistan have accused Islamabad of plundering and looting its resources.
Balochistan is the biggest province in Pakistan and is rich with natural resources that are being usurped by China’s mega infrastructure project the China Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC.