View source for Elahi Bux Soomro

{{Short description|Pakistani politician (1926–2024)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Elahi Bux Soomro
| honorific_prefix    = [[Honorable]]
| image               =
| caption             = Soomro on the far right
| office              = [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|16th Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]
| deputy              = [[Chaudhry Muhammad Jaffar Iqbal]]
| term_start          = 16 February 1997
| term_end            = 20 August 2001
| predecessor         = [[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]
| successor           = [[Chaudhry Amir Hussain]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1926|5|15|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Jacobabad District]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British India]] (now Pakistan)
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2024|10|9|1926|5|15|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Karachi]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]
| party               = [[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PMLN]] (1993–2024)<br>[[Pakistan Muslim League]] (1962–1993)
| alma_mater          = [[Forman Christian College]]<br>[[NED University of Engineering and Technology]]
| native_name_lang    = ur
| native_name         = {{nobold|الٰہی بخش سومرو}}
}}
'''Elahi Bux Soomro''' or '''Illahi Bukhsh Soomro''' (15 May 1926 – 9 October 2024) was a Pakistani politician and legislator from [[Shikarpur, Sindh|Shikarpur]], [[Sindh]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Outlook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RjBWAAAAYAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Hathway Investments Pvt Ltd|page=32}}</ref> He was the 16th [[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]. He belonged to an influential political family of Sindh. He held several federal ministries, including portfolios of Ministry of Industries and Production, Ministry of Housing & Works, Ministry of Defence Production, Ministry of IT, Ministry of Science & Technology, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Water and Power. He was one of few politicians who have been very close to Presidents and Prime Ministers of the [[Islamic Republic of Pakistan]]. He was a close and childhood friend of [[Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto]], favourite of [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]] for the post of Prime Minister, the first minister appointed in the [[Jatoi caretaker government|cabinet of and by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi]], [[Benazir Bhutto]] used to call him "Uncle", a very close aide to [[Nawaz Sharif]] and [[Ghulam Ishaq Khan]], and before 2002 elections, the top army officials had announced his name for the premiership. He was a strong candidate for Prime Minister at numerous times in the 1980s as well.
==Civil servant==
Soomro remained Director General of the [[Karachi Development Authority]], Managing Director of S.I.T.E, Rector of the [[Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology]], [[NED University of Engineering and Technology]] and [[Jinnah Medical and Dental College]], and above all he made a record of becoming four times Chairman of the [[Pakistan Engineering Council]], each for three-year terms. He was the [[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[Institute of Business Management]] [[Karachi]].
==Nomination for premiership==
Before the 2002 elections, the top army officials had announced his name for the premiership but Soomro lost the 2002 election, and claimed the election was not fair.
==Personal life and death==
Elahi Bux Soomro was born to a [[Sindhis|Sindhi]] family of the [[Soomro]] tribe on 15 May 1926 in the [[Jacobabad]] district.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://english.aaj.tv/news/330383358/senior-politician-elahi-bux-soomro-passes-away | title=Senior politician Elahi Bux Soomro passes away }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Illahi Bukhsh Soomro |url=https://www.tareekhepakistan.com/detail?title_id=2231&dtd_id=2110 |website=Tehreek e Pakistan |access-date=25 January 2024}}</ref>
Soomro died from a cardiac arrest at a private hospital in Karachi, on 9 October 2024, at the age of 98.<ref>[https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/09-Oct-2024/senior-politician-illahi-bux-soomro-passes-away Senior politician Illahi Bux Soomro passes away]</ref>
==See also==
* [[National Assembly of Pakistan]]
* [[Politics of Pakistan]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Yousaf Raza Gillani]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan|Speaker of the National Assembly]]|years=1997–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chaudhry Amir Hussain]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Aftab Ahmed Khan}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[Institute of Business Management]]|Speaker of the National Assembly]]|years=2013–?}}
{{s-aft|after=?}}
{{s-end}}
{{Speaker National Assembly Pakistan}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Biography |portal2= Politics |portal3= Pakistan}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soomro, Elahi Bux}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Forman Christian College alumni]]
[[Category:NED University of Engineering & Technology alumni]]
[[Category:People from Jacobabad District]]
[[Category:Sindhi politicians]]
[[Category:Soomro family|E]]
[[Category:Speakers of the National Assembly of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology]]