Kamran Khamiso Khowaja
Another era of politics from Balochistan came to an end with the demise of former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the only political leader to hold the office of Prime Minister from the deprived province. The Former Premier was on Ventilawas 76. He was born in Rojhan Jamali Village on 1 January 1944 in a tribal family (Jamali) of Balochistan province. He received his early education from his province. He graduated from Government College Lahore and also did his master’s in history from there. The elements of tenderness, compassion, commitment, and a bit of humor in his nature helped him emerge as one of the illustrious political characters of the country and mainly his province. Though his political loyalty kept swapping during his whole career, it could not jostle his stature as a politician in his home Province. During his college days, he staunchly supported Mohratam Fatima Jinnah and actively participated in her election campaign. Jamali was arrested along with a few other supporters of Quaid,s Sister from a political gathering in Lahore, The elders of his family were against his move of being active in politics, but in spite of that bitter opposition, he kept engaged in political activities. After the death of his Uncle, Mir Jaffar Khan Jamali- A Tribal Chief and Close ally of Quaid-E-Azam, He launched himself into the orbit of parliamentary politics by joining Pakistan Peoples Party, as he was of the view that charismatic and the then only popular leader of the country, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will help him end the sense of deprivation coaxing among the people of Balochistan after their rights were usurped by the military rulers. Earlier he contested election from his native constituency for the seat of the provincial assembly during the elections of 1970 but lost. He contested the elections of 1976-77 from the ticket of PPP and was elected unopposed, later he was made the minister for Information and food in the cabinet of Chief Minister Sardar Mohamad Khan Barozai. After the coup-d’etat of 5 July 1977, he parted his ways with PPP and became part of the Military ruler’s Cabinet as the Minister of Food and Agriculture. In the non-Party based elections of 1985. After his exceptional victory, he was the favorite candidate for the prime ministership, even political pundits and analysts of that time were leaning at his side but General Zia after obtaining advice from one of his true-blue allies Pir Sain Pagara made a surprising call and Mohammad Khan Junejo a gullible Politician from Mirpurkhas District of Sindh was elected the 10th Prime Minister of Pakistan. Mir Zafarullah Khan was inducted as the Minister of Water and Power in Junejo,s Cabinet In 1988 He was elected as the Chief Minister of Balochistan but couldn’t last long in that office and the Balochistan Assembly was dissolved just one month after he was made the CM. After his defeat as the Candidate of Islami Jamhoori Ithad, he was appointed as Pakistan’s representative to UNO by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to give Jamali a saving after that upsetting defeat in the elections After the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto,s Government by her own President Farooq Ahmed Lagahri in 1996, he was appointed the caretaker Chief Minister of Balochistan. Pakistan Muslim Quaid-e-Azam after the elections of 2002 managed to get Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali elected as the 15th Prime Minister of Pakistan, he remained in the office for 2 years and resigned in 2004. Before entering politics he also served as the chief selector of the Pakistan’s Hockey Team twice. The team selected under his supervision Pakistan won the Atlanta Olympic title. A Large Number of People including leaders of Political parties, social welfare organizations, religious, trade, and other organizations attended the funeral prayers of the Prime Minister. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of his village tor for a few days, he was taken to the National Institute of Cardiology Rawalpindi after he had suffered a cardiac arrest. His close relative and senator Sana Jamali confirmed the death, he Rojhan Jamali. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali will be remembered as the politician of distinguished ethos.
(-The writer is a Law Student and Columnist based in Sujawal.)
