Muhammad Aslam Bhutani (also spelled Bhootani; , born 2 October 1960) is a Pakistani politician who served as a member of the
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...
from 2018 to 2022. He is the younger brother of Muhammad Saleh Bootani, former (caretaker
Chief Minister of Balochistan
The Chief Minister of Balochistan () is the head of government of the of Balochistan. The prime minister leads the legislative branch of the Government of Balochistan, and is elected by the Provincial Assembly. Given that he has the assembly' ...
Hub District
Hub District ( Balochi, Lasi, ), is a coastal administrative district and located at southern part of Balochistan Province of Pakistan. The district was created after bifurcation of Lasbela District in 2022.
It is located south of the Balochi ...
in the province of
Balochistan, Pakistan
Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...
. Bhutani received his early education in his native place before moving to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, where he completed his
Secondary School Certificate
Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or Matriculation examination, is a public examination in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives and Nepal conducted by educational boards for the successful completi ...
. He later earned a bachelor's degree from the
University of Karachi
The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...
. Prior to entering politics in 2002, he held senior positions in Pakistan's law enforcement agencies, including the Police Service, the
Anti-Narcotics Force
The Anti-Narcotics Force (, reporting name: ''ANF'') is a federal executive bureau and a paramilitary force of the Government of Pakistan, tasked with combating the narcotics smuggling and use within Pakistan. ANF works under the umbrella of ...
, and the
Federal Investigation Agency
The Federal Investigation Agency (; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdiction on u ...
.
Political career
Bhootani has held several prominent positions in the political landscape of Balochistan. He served as Deputy Speaker of the
Provincial Assembly of Balochistan
The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan, and is located in Quetta, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 o ...
for five years and later as Speaker of the Assembly from 8 April 2008 to 25 December 2012.
In the
2018 Pakistani general election
General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...
, Bhootani won the National Assembly seat
NA-272 (Lasbela-cum-Gwadar)
NA-257 Hub-cum-Lasbela-cum-Awaran () is a constituency for the National Assembly of Pakistan. It comprises the districts of Lasbela, Awaran, and Hub from the province of Balochistan. It was created in 2022 out of areas from NA-270 (Panjgur-cu ...
, defeating high-profile candidates including
Jam Kamal Khan
Jam Kamal Khan (; born 1 January 1970) (Sindhi language, Sindhi: ڄام ڪمال خان علياڻي) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as Ministry of Commerce (Pakistan), Federal Minister of Commerce since 11 March 2024. He also ...
of the
Balochistan Awami Party
The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is a political party based in the Balochistan province of Pakistan founded in 2018 by political dissidents of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) in Balochistan.
The party emerged ...
and
Akhtar Mengal
Akhtar Mengal (; born 6 October 1962) is a Pakistani politician from Balochistan who is the chairman of Balochistan National Party (Mengal). He is also serving as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since February 2024. He previously s ...
of the Balochistan National Party. He secured approximately 70,000 votes—the highest number of votes received by any candidate in Balochistan during that election.
Bhootani is also noted for his vocal criticism of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Representing
Gwadar
Gwadar (, ) is a Port, port city on the southwestern coast of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a populati ...
, a key site within the CPEC framework, he has consistently argued that the local population has not received tangible benefits from the multi-billion-dollar initiative.
On 21 May 2020, Bhutani filed a petition in the
Balochistan High Court
The Balochistan High Court () is the highest judicial institution of Balochistan, Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, ...
challenging the provincial government's nomination of filmmaker
Javed Jabbar
Javed Jabbar (Urdu language, Urdu: جاوید جبار ) is a Pakistani people, Pakistani writer and politician.