Shah Nawaz Bhutto ( sd, ; ur, ) (8 March 1888 – 19 November 1957), was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

and a member of Bhutto family hailing from

Larkana Larkana ( ur, , translit=lāṛkāna; sd, لاڙڪاڻو, translit=lāṛkāṇo) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site ...

in the

Sind Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

region of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, which is now

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, Pakistan.

Early life and education

Shah Nawaz Bhutto was born on 8 March, 1888 in

Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Garhi Khuda Bakhsh ( sd, ڳڙهي خدابخش, ur, ) is a village in Ratodero Taluka near Naudero, in Larkana District of Sindh province, Pakistan. It contains the family graveyard of the Bhutto family and is the burial place of Zulfiqar, Mu ...

in Ratodero Taleka in the

Larkana District Larkana District (Sindhi: ضلعو لاڙڪاڻو; ur, ) is a district of Sindh province of Pakistan. Its main city is Larkana on the banks of the Indus River. It is home district the of influential Bhutto family. The Larkana Bulls cricket te ...

of the

region, within the

(now in

, Pakistan) into a

Shia Muslim Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...

family of the Bhutto clan of

Bhati Bhati is a clan of Rajputs History The Bhatis reportedly originated in Mathura through a common ancestor named Bhati, who was a descendant of Pradyumn. According to the seventeenth-century Nainsi ri Khyat, the Bhatis after losing Mathur ...

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

to father Ghulam Murtaza Bhutto. He was also the youngest brother of

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

Nabi Bux Khan Bhutto Nawab Nabi Bux Khan Bhutto (2 January 1887 – 6 December 1965) was the Pakistani lawyer and political leader who was the member of legislative assembly before Partition of India from unknown date to 14 August 1947. He was also the brother o ...

. The Bhutto family owned 250,000 acres of land spread across

, in

Sukkur Sukkur (; ) is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest city ...

and

Jacobabad Jacobabad ( ur, and sd, جيڪب آباد; formerly Khanger or Khangarh) is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative center of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivisi ...

. Shah Nawaz got his early education and later at St. Patrick's High School in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

, and then at Sindh Madressa, also in Karachi.

Career and dewan of Junagadh

Bhutto entered the Legislative Council of the

Bombay Province The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

, of which Sindh was a part, in 1921 at the age of 33. He continued till 1936. During this time, he received the honours of CIE followed by knighthood. In 1934, he became a minister in the Bombay government. Bhutto attended the Round Table Conference in 1931 as a leader of Sindhi Muslims demanding separation of Sind from the Bombay province. This was eventually granted in the

Government of India Act 1935 The Government of India Act, 1935 was an Act adapted from the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It originally received royal assent in August 1935. It was the longest Act of (British) Parliament ever enacted until the Greater London Authority ...

, with Sind becoming a separate province on 1 April 1936. Bhutto was appointed as a chief advisor to the Governor of Sind. In preparation for the provincial elections in 1937, the

Sind United Party The Sind United Party or Sind Ittehad Party ( Sindhi: سنڌ اتحاد پارٽي) was a political party in Sind, British India. The party was founded in June 1936, the same year that the Sind province had been created. The party was modelled on ...

was formed by Haji

Abdullah Haroon ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Karachi, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, British India , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , nationality = Indian , other_names = , known_for = Politics (Pa ...

and Bhutto joined it as the vice-chairman of the party. It was modeled after the Punjab Unionist Party and claimed to represent all Sindhis irrespective of religion. Nevertheless, Bhutto brought leading ''pirs'' (Sufi saints) to influence the voters 'religiously' to cast their votes in his favour.Ansari, Sarah F. D.
Sufi Saints and State Power: The Pirs of Sind, 1843-1947
'. Cambridge South Asian studies, 50. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. pp. 115-116 The Sind United Party emerged as the largest party in the elections, winning 21 out of 60 seats. However, both Harron and Bhutto failed to get elected. The

seat, which Bhutto had contested, was won by Sheikh Abdul Majid Sindhi. The Governor invited

Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah KCSI ( ur, غلام حسین هدايت الله , sd, غلام حسين هدايت الله; January 1879 – 4 October 1948) was a colonial Indian and Pakistani politician from Sindh. He held several offices i ...

, the leader of the Sind Muslim Party and a political rival of Bhutto in Sind, to form a government. Large scale defections took place in the Assembly, Bhutto resigned from the party and Haroon eventually merged his party into the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party established in Dhaka in 1906 when a group of prominent Muslim politicians met the Viceroy of British India, Lord Minto, with the goal of securing Muslim interests on the Indian subcont ...

.Afzal, Nasreen.
Role of Sir Abdullah Haroon in Politics of Sindh (1872-1942)
' Bhutto returned to Bombay to become the Chairman of the Bombay-Sind Public Service Commission. Early in 1947, Bhutto joined the council of ministers of

Muhammad Mahabat Khan III Sir Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III Rasul Khanji, (Gujarati: મુહમ્મદ ખાન ત્રીજાની, Urdu: 2 August 1898 – 17 November 1959), was the last ruling Nawab of Junagadh of the princely state of Junagadh in India fro ...

the

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally ...

in the modern-day province of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, becoming its

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

, or prime minister in May. At the time of the

independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

in 1947, the princely states were asked by the British to decide whether to join the newly independent states of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

or to remain autonomous and outside them. The Constitutional Advisor to the Nawab, Nabi Baksh, indicated to

Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

that he was recommending that the State should join India. However, the Nawab did not make a decision. Early in 1947, Bhutto was invited to join the Council of Ministers of the Nawab. In May, when the Dewan Abdul Khadir Muhammad Hussain went abroad for medical treatment, Bhutto was appointed as the Dewan. On 15 August 1947, the State announced that it had acceded to Pakistan. On 13 September 1947, the Government of Pakistan accepted the accession. However, the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

citizens of the State revolted, leading to several events and also a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...

, resulting in the integration of Junagadh into India. Nawab

of Junagadh (erstwhile Babi Nawab dynasty of Junagadh) fled to

, Pakistan. As Dewan of Junagarh; it was Shah Nawaz Bhutto who wrote and signed the letter addressed to Indian Government to come and take over the administration of the Junagadh state. Shah Nawaz Bhutto moved to

, where his land-ownership made him among the wealthiest and most influential people in Sindh. Bhutto was a good friend of

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

(later President)

Iskander Mirza Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the first President of Pakistan. ...

, who was a regular guest for the annual hunt in Larkana, staying at the Bhutto family home called ''Al-Murtaza''. In the winter of 1955-1956, Mirza brought General

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

with him to Larkana for the hunt.Burki, Shahid Javed, Historical Dictionary of Pakistan, Scarecrow Press, 1991,

Personal life

Bhutto was a first cousin once removed of Wahid Baksh Bhutto, who in 1924 was made a

sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also be ...

and in 1926 was elected to the Imperial Legislative Assembly from

, a constituency of the

, becoming the first member of the Bhutto family to be elected to public office. Shah Nawaz Bhutto was married to Khursheed Begum (born as Lakhi Bai), who was of a modest

family. She converted from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

before her marriage. Her brothers remained Hindu and eventually migrated to India. Their children included their first son, Sikandar, who died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

at the age of seven in 1914, their second child, Imdad Ali, died of

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...

at the age of thirty-nine in 1953. Their third son,

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

, was born in his parents' residence near

, and later became the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...

. Their fourth child, a daughter, Mumtaz Sahiba Bhutto, was married to

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. ...

Muhammad Mustafa Khan Bahadur of the Sidi clan.

Honours and legacy

The British imperial government awarded Bhutto the title of ''

Khan Sahib Khan Sahib is a compound of khan (leader) and sahib (master) - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred mainly on Muslim, but also to Parsi, Irani, and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire. It was a title one degr ...

'', subsequently raising it to ''

Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of khan ('leader') and bahadur ('brave') – was a formal title of respect and honor, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim and other non-Hindu natives of British India. It was one degree higher than the title of ...

''. Bhutto was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

, Civil Division (OBE) in the

1920 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civil ...

list, with a further appointment as a

Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(CIE) in the

1925 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1925 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 30 December 1924. The recipients of honours are displayed here ...

list. In the

1930 New Year Honours The 1930 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1929. The recipients of honour ...

, Bhutto was knighted, and was invested with his knighthood on 27 February 1930 at Viceroy's House in New Delhi by the Viceroy of India, the

Lord Irwin Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, (16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959), known as The Lord Irwin from 1925 until 1934 and The Viscount Halifax from 1934 until 1944, was a senior British Conservative politician of the 19 ...

.Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto
/ref> * He was a Delegate to the Round Table Conference in London in 1930-31 as a leader of Sindhi Muslims demanding separation of Sindh from the Bombay Province *

Pakistan Postal Services Pakistan Post ( ur, ) is a state enterprise which functions as Pakistan's primary and largest postal operator. 49,502 employees through a vehicle fleet of 5,000 operate traditional "to the door" service from more than 13,419 post offices acros ...

issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series.

References

; Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bhutto, Shah Nawaz 1888 births 1957 deaths Pakistani politicians Sindhi people Shah Nawaz Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Officers of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Central Legislative Assembly of India Indian Knights Bachelor Lawyers awarded knighthoods Prime Ministers of Junagadh State Indian Officers of the Order of the British Empire

Early life and education

Career and dewan of Junagadh

Personal life

Honours and legacy

See also

References