Mir Siraj Khan Raisani (4 April 1963 – 13 July 2018) was a
Pakistani politician from
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
. He belonged to the
Balochistan Awami Party
The Balochistan Awami Party ( ur, , lit=Balochistan People's Party) is a political party based in the Balochistan province of Pakistan founded in 2018 by political dissidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) ...
(BAP). Previously, he had served as the chief of the political party called Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz (BMM) until June 2018. Later, he merged BMM with BAP.
He was assassinated in a
suicide bombing while campaigning for his seat prior to the
2018 general elections.
Early life and education
Raisani, an ethnic Baloch, was born on 4 April 1963 in Mehrgarh area of Bolan district. He belonged to
Raisani tribe.
He came from a politically distinguished family. His father,
Ghous Bakhsh Raisani, served as the governor of the
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
province between 1970 and 1971. His eldest brother
Aslam Raisani served as the
13th Chief Minister of Balochistan from 2008 to 2013. Another of his brothers,
Lashkari Raisani, served as a senator in the
Senate of Pakistan
Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper house, upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly (Pakistan), National As ...
from 2009 to 2015. Siraj himself, was the head of a political party named Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz (Balochistan United Front) until June 2018. The party was founded by his father.
Later he merged it into the newly formed
Balochistan Awami Party
The Balochistan Awami Party ( ur, , lit=Balochistan People's Party) is a political party based in the Balochistan province of Pakistan founded in 2018 by political dissidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) ...
.
Siraj Raisani obtained his early education from government institutions in
Bolan. He then went on to get a bachelor's degree in
agronomy from the
Sindh Agriculture University
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in
Tando Jam. After that he undertook a course in
floriculture
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding is ...
from an academic institute in the
Netherlands
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.
Political work
Siraj Raisani was a hard working politician. He had served as the chief of the political party called Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz (BMM) until June 2018. BMM was formed by his father
Ghous Bakhsh Raisani in the 1970s. He later merged the BMM with the newly formed
Balochistan Awami Party
The Balochistan Awami Party ( ur, , lit=Balochistan People's Party) is a political party based in the Balochistan province of Pakistan founded in 2018 by political dissidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) ...
(BAP).
He held the record of making the longest Pakistani flag stretching from
Mastung to Quetta.
He wanted to unite the various tribes of Balochistan in pursuit of the province's rights. Upon joining the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in June 2018, he said that the decision was made keeping in view the "BAP's mission to unite people from all tribes and ethnic backgrounds living in the province for the rights of the province."
Raisani was regarded as true patriot and a brave politician in Pakistan. He boldly raised his voice against anti-Pakistani groups. Throughout his career, Raisani had received many death threats. He was advised by some not to campaign in public and was instead offered a ticket for
Senate. However, he declined and insisted that he wanted to serve the people of his country.
Assassination
While on the trail in his campaign for the
Balochistan Provincial Assembly
The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, and is located in Quetta, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of ...
seat of PB-35 (Mastung), he had held a political gathering in the Daringarh area of the
Mastung District
Mastung District ( bal, مستونگ; ur, ) is a district located in the northwest of Balochistan province, Pakistan. Prior to its creation as a separate district in 1991, Mastung was part of Kalat District.
Administration
The district cons ...
on 13 July 2018. He was about to address the people gathered inside the ceremonial tent and had just taken to the stage when a powerful suicide blast ripped through the audience. Siraj Raisani was one of the 131 people who were killed in the attack.
Islamic State of Iraq and Levant
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Raisani was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in Kanak area of Mastung on 14 July 2018. His funeral was attended by dignitaries from across Pakistan, including army chief,
Qamar Javed Bajwa
General Qamar Javed Bajwa ( ur, ; born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani army general who served as the tenth Chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018 he was ranked 68th in the ''Forbes' ...
and interim Chief Minister of Baluchistan,
Alauddin Marri. A day of national mourning was also declared.
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
also condemned the attack on Siraj Raisani. United States termed the attack on Raisani as a cowardly attempt to deprive the Pakistani people of their democratic rights. US State Department Spokesperson
Heather Nauert
Heather Ann Nauert (born January 27, 1970) is an American broadcast journalist and former government official who served as Spokesperson for the United States Department of State in the Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. She is a s ...
, also stated that they will continue to stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism.
After his assassination his youngest son Nawabzada Mir Jamal Khan Raisani is continuing his legacy, trying to unite various tribes of Balochistan under the flag of Pakistan.
Awards and honors
He was posthumously awarded
Sitara-e-Shujaat
Sitara-e-Shujaat ( ur, ستارہِ شجاعت, , Star of Bravery), sometimes spelled Sitara-i-Shujaat, is the second-highest civil award for bravery bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. It is usually awarded to the Pakistani citizens ...
, a civilian medal for brave conduct, on 23 March 2019. The award was received by his son, Nawabzada Mir Jamal Raisani.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raisani, Siraj
1963 births
2018 deaths
Assassinated Pakistani politicians
Brahui people
Pakistani nationalists
People from Kachhi District
People murdered in Balochistan, Pakistan
Recipients of Sitara-i-Shujaat
Terrorism deaths in Pakistan