DERA GHAZI KHAN, Jan 30: Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s rivals within the Bugti clans, who were banished from their homelands several years ago and settled in DG Khan and Multan, started retuning to their native areas under the government protection.

Sources said 100 personnel of the Rangers reached Dera Ghazi Khan to give cover to Kalpars and Masuris against possible attacks from their rivals.

Kalpars had settled in Multan while the Masuris in Choti Zaireen area of DG Khan. Masuris number was stated to be 2,000

Families of Masuri tribe, according to APP, started returning to their homes in Bekar tehsil of Dera Bugti.

Led by Tariq Masuri Bugti, son of Masuri Bugti tribe’s chief Meer Ali Muhammad Masuri, some 55 families comprising men, women and children, started their journey in the form of a caravan of mini wagons and pickups from an area near Fort Munro and entered Bekar after crossing the inter-provincial Boata check post.

Barkhan tehsil nazim Sultan Shah Khetran saw them off while representing the Khetran tribe chief.

The Masuris were forcibly evicted from their areas and their families settled in parts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur district besides Rakni in Balochistan.

Banished from their homes by force in Nov 2004, the Masuris hold Nawab Akbar Bugti and his men responsible for their ordeal. “We faced wrath of Nawab Akbar Bugti and his men only because we wanted development, educate our kids”, said Tariq Masuri.

“I want to bring a change to my area when I returned home from London after doing my MBA and that is why Akbar Bugti turned against us”, he added.

Bekar’s rural health centre (RHC) medical officer Dr Salman Masuri said: “They fired missiles, burnt our houses, took away cattle when they attacked us two years ago.”

Tariq said Masuris were 40 per cent of the main Bugti tribe’s population while Raijas were 10 per cent and Kalpars 50 per cent.

According to our Multan correspondent, Kalpars were settled here nearly a decade ago. A good number of them were later moved to Sindh after they created a law and order problem here. Those left behind, stated to be 300, were driven in shape of a convoy to Kashmor. Another Bugti clan, Raijas, are also settled in Multan. Sources said they would be taken to Dera Bugti in the next phase. Their population here is stated to be 2,500.