LARKANA: Amir Bakhsh Bhutto, son of Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, was installed as chieftain of the Bhutto clan at a turban wearing ceremony held in Abad village, some 25 kilometres from here, near Mirupr Bhutto on Sunday.

A former MPA, Amir Bhutto succeeds his father, Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, who died on July 18.

Several hundred members of the Bhutto clan and heads of various tribes, sub-tribes and sub-clans, came from different parts of the province to participate in the traditional ceremony.

In a well-disciplined gathering, the turban was placed on his head in a ritual symbolising faith in the new chieftain. The first turn of the turban was performed by Aamir Khan Bhutto, the second by Rasool Bakhsh Khan Bhutto, the third by Ali Haider Bhutto [younger brother of Amir Bakhsh Bhutto] and the fourth one by Zulfikar junior, the son of Mir Murtaza Bhutto. Later, elders of the clan hailing from different cities and towns performed one turn each. After completing the process, heads, chiefs, sardars and pagdars of different clans, tribes and communities walked closer to the new chieftain to participate in the ceremony.

Muhammed Rashid Rashdi, son of Pir of Pagara, MNA Ghous Bakhsh Khan Mahar, MPA Sardar Moazzam Abbasi, Pir of Bharchundi Abdul Khaliq Bharchundi, Dr Ibrahim Jatoi, Sardar Tegho Khan Teghani, former CM Liaquat Ali Jatoi, Syed Zain Shah, JUI-F Sindh general secretary Rashid Mehmood Soomro, Sardar Shaukat Khan Jarwar, Sardar Lutfullah Dall, Muhammed Jan Pandrani, Sardar Zulfikar Khan Jeho, Azhar Khan Kamariyo, Muhammed Arif Khan Mahar, Adil Altaf Unnar, Syed Akbar Shah Rashdi, Sardar Agha Ali Nawaz Jalbani, Maula Bakhsh Khoso, Salahuddin Leghari, Iftekhar Loond and others also performed the ritual one after the other.

The programme began with the recitation of Holy Quran and collective dau for the departed soul of Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto. Speaking to the audience, Sardar Amir Bakhsh Bhutto pledged to stand shoulder by shoulder by the people saying that this [turban] responsibility was transferred to him from Doda Khan Bhutto. “We are Muslims first and our culture and history has the weight of Sunnah and Shariah,” he said, adding that he would discharge his duties as per the teachings of Islam. He admitted that he could not bring about a religious revolution in the Bhutto clan, and held out the assurance that he would sow the seed.

He acknowledged that feudal (Sardari) system had always remained under criticism and attacks but “I can say with full confidence that had this system not been here, the country may have sustained damage”.

Sardar Bhutto stressed on corrective measures to improve performance of all sectors in the country, and said if this was not done, there would be no other option to ensure progress.

He regretted that favoritism prevailed in officers’ posting and litigation in courts linger on for decades. Government functionaries always turned a deaf ear to poor’s complaints, he noted.

“If justice is timely dispensed and officers perform their duties sincerely and look after people, the Sardari system will die itself,” he said.

After the ceremony was over, Sardar Bhutto along with Ali Hadier Bhutto and others, visited the grave of his father Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, and offered fateha. They laid wreaths on the grave.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2021