Elahi Bux Soomro

Elahi Bux Soomro or Illahi Bukhsh Soomro (15 May 1926 – 9 October 2024) was a Pakistani politician and legislator from Shikarpur, Sindh. 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 Zia-ul-Haq for the post of Prime Minister, the first minister appointed in the 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 the 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.