QUETTA, May 14: A former governor, chief minister and chief justice of the Balochistan High Court, Justice (retd) Khuda Bakhsh Mari, died in Switzerland on Sunday. He was 80.

Sources close to his family said he had been living in Switzerland for a long time.

His body would be flown to Pakistan and he would be buried in his native graveyard in Kohlu town.

Justice (retd) Khuda Bakhsh Mari was born in 1926. He started his schooling in Kohlu and Sibi and later left for Karachi to pursue higher education.

He did his Bar at Law in 1956 from London and started practicing law. He was appointed Judge of the Sindh-Balochistan High Court in 1969 while he took oath as Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court in 1977. Later, he was appointed Governor of Balochistan. He also remained acting Chief Minister of Balochistan in 1989.

He wrote many books on various topics, including Balochistan.

He was the elder brother of late Justice Mir Mohammad Nawaz Khan Mari, who was murdered in Quetta a few years ago, Senator Mir Mohabbat Khan Mari and Mir Taj Mohammad Mari.

He is survived by his wife, two sons — Mir Shahnawaz Mari (former provincial secretary) and Mir Kamal Khan Mari — and six daughters.