Khair Bakhsh Marri

{{Infobox person

| name = Nawab Khair Baksh Marri

| image = Baba-marri-portrait-6.jpg

| caption =

| title =

| birth_name = Nawab Khair Baksh Marri

| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|2|28|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Kahan, Baluchistan, British India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2014|6|10|1928|2|28|df=yes}}

| death_place= Karachi, Pakistan

| occupation = Nawab, Politician

| years_active = 1960s–2014

| height =

| spouse =

| children = {{Plain list|

}}

Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri (28 February 1928 – 10 June 2014), {{langx|bal|نواب خیر بخش مری}}) was a Pakistani politician from the province of Balochistan in Pakistan.{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1111939 |author=Hasan Mansoor|title=Khair Bakhsh Marri: a fighter all the way |date=11 June 2014|newspaper=Dawn |access-date=21 August 2020}}

Early life and career

Marri had received his early education in Kohlu, Balochistan and higher education from Aitchison College, Lahore.{{cite web |author=Malik Siraj Akbar |url=https://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/23sld1.htm |website=Rediff News |date=23 June 2008 |title=We are the masters of our land |access-date=21 August 2020}} Nawab Marri admitted himself in a 2008 interview that he was a 'latecomer' into politics due to the comfortable life he spent at Aitchison College, Lahore and that he was indifferent to politics in his youth. Only when oil and gas exploration started in the Marri tribal areas during General Ayub Khan's regime in Pakistan, his tribal nationalist feelings and political consciousness were aroused.

Government of Pakistan's longstanding view was that these Baloch tribal chiefs are 'anti-development' in their tribal areas and want to cling onto their own traditionally-held power over their people. The tribal chiefs do not want their people to get modern education due to their fear that then the Balochi people would rebel against their own tribal chiefs.

Marri became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, after winning a seat from Balochistan in the Pakistani general election, 1970.

He also was a key leader of the 1970s insurgency against the Pakistani government. Due to the steps taken by the federal government to suppress the rebellion by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime in the 1970s, Marri spent many years in exile in Afghanistan, and only returned to Pakistan when the USSR-backed government of Mohammad Najibullah supporting him in that country, had fallen in the early 1990s.

After returning to Pakistan from his exile, he decided to keep a low profile, but his Baloch nationalist views earned him a label of a 'communist nationalist'.

Death and legacy

Marri died on 10 June 2014 in Karachi, Pakistan at age 86. He was admitted to Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi in a critical condition on 6 June 2014 and had been under treatment there.

He had six sons—Balach Marri, Changez Marri, Hyrbyair Marri, Ghazan Marri, Hamza Marri and Mehran Marri.

Marri was also head of the Marri tribe.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/638441-baloch-nationalist-leader-khair-bakhsh-marri-passes-away |title=Baloch nationalist leader Khair Bakhsh Marri passes away |newspaper=The News International |date=11 June 2014 |access-date=21 August 2020}}

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20091001154354/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/04-some-balochis-support-the-sardari-system-others-direct-democracy-qs-10 Exclusive Interview of Brahmdagh Bugti - Some Baloch support sardari system, others democracy] by Qurat ul ain Siddiqui, Dawn (newspaper)
[http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jun/23sld1.htm Interview with Khair Bakhsh Marri] Rediff.com website, 23 June 2008

Category:1928 births

Category:2014 deaths

Category:Aitchison College alumni

Category:Baloch politicians

Khair Bakhsh

Category:Nawabs of Balochistan, Pakistan

Category:Nawabs of Pakistan

Category:Pakistani Marxists

Category:Pakistani MNAs 1972–1977

Category:Tumandars

Category:Balochistan MPAs 1972–1976