Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto (Sindhi:شھنواز ڀٽو)(Urdu: شاہ
نواز بھٹو) grandfather of Late Mrs Benazir Bhutto was a well known feudal
lord and politician of a Rajput clan hailing from Larkana in Sindh province of India, which is now part of Pakistan.
Before independence his father Khuda Bux was living in a small town Bhatto Kalan (भट्टू कलां),
Tahseel Sirsa, district Hisar, India. He was serving in Indian Railway as a mechanic. His son Shah Nawaz went to England for
higher education. Subsequently, Shah Nawaz joined service with Nawab of Junagadh. There Shah Nawaz used his native town name
Bhatto as his last name. He later became the Dewan (minister) of Junagadh state.
Together with G. M. Sayed he founded the Sindh Peoples Party in the 1940s. Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto was the father of the
1st elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In his capacity as Dewan of Junagadh Shah Nawaz Bhutto forced
the Nawab of Junagadh to sign the annexation of Junagadh state by India.
Shah Nawaz Bhutto, one of the wealthiest and most influential landowners of Sindh, was a good friend of Governor General
(later President) Iskander Mirza. Mirza had been a regular guest for the annual hunt in Larkana, staying at Al-Murtaza (the
Bhutto family home). In the winter of 1955-1956, he brought General Ayub Khan along to Larkana for the hunt, and both generals
enjoyed the hospitality of the Bhutto family.
He was married to Khursheed Begum. Khursheed Begum was formerly Lakhi Bai, born in a modest Hindu family. She converted
to Islam before her marriage. Her brothers remained Hindu and eventually migrated to India.
His children included Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and a daughter Mumtaz, who was married to Brigadier Muhammad Mustafa Khan Bahadur
of the Sidi clan.
References:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_Nawaz_Bhutto
- Historical Dictionary of Pakistan By Burki, Shahid Javed, 1991, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0810824116
- http://www.4dw.net/royalark/India/sachin2.htm The Sidi Dynasty