Khair Bakhsh Marri

{{Short description|Politician}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2024}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=August 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Khair Baksh Marri | image = Baba-marri-portrait-6.jpg | caption = | title = | birth_name = 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| * Changez Marri * Balach Marri * Ghazan Marri * Hyrbyair Marri * Mehran Marri * Hamza Marri }} }}

'''Khair Bakhsh Marri''' (28 February 1928 – 10 June 2014; {{langx|bal| خیر بخش مری}}) was a Pakistani politician from the province of Balochistan in Pakistan.<ref name=Dawn>{{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}}</ref><ref name="TNI">{{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}}</ref> Marri was also head of the Marri tribe.<ref name="TNI" />

==Early life and career== Marri had received his early education in Kohlu, Balochistan and higher education from Aitchison College, Lahore.<ref name=rediff>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name=rediff/>

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.<ref name=rediff/>

Marri became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, after winning a seat from Balochistan in the Pakistani general election, 1970.<ref name=Dawn/>

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.<ref name="Dawn" /><ref name="TNI" />

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'.<ref name=Dawn/>

==Death and legacy== Marri died on 10 June 2014 in Karachi,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.<ref name=TNI/>

He had six sons, including Balach Marri, Changez Marri, Hyrbyair Marri, Ghazan Marri and Mehran Marri.<ref name=TNI/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marri, Khair Bakhsh}} Category:1928 births Category:2014 deaths Category:Aitchison College alumni Category:Baloch politicians Khair Bakhsh Category:Nawabs of Pakistan Category:Pakistani Marxists Category:Pakistani MNAs 1972–1977 Category:Tumandars Category:Balochistan MPAs 1972–1976 Category:Pakistani MNAs 1962–1965