Aqif Pasha Elbasani

Aqif Pashë Elbasani
From left to right: General Willem De Veer, Ibrahim Biçakçiu, Aqif Pasha Biçakçiu, and Ali Agjah Bey
Born	1860 or 1861 Elbasan, Ottoman Empire
Died	10 February 1926(1926-02-10)
Nationality	Ottoman, Albanian
Other names	Aqif Pashë Biçaku, Aqif Pashë Biçakçiu
Occupation	Politician
Known for	Congress of Lushnje

Aqif Pasha Elbasani (1860 or 1861 – 1926), also referred as Aqif Pashë Elbasani, Aqif Pashë Biçaku, Aqif Pashë Biçakçiu, was an Albanian political figure.

Aqif Pasha was born in Elbasan, back then Vilayet of Monastir, Ottoman Empire in a landowning influential and respected family.

He was an activist of the Albanian National Awakening in the Elbasan region. He is remembered for having raised the Albanian flag in Elbasan on 26 November 1912 at the request of Ismail Qemal bey Vlora. In 1913 he was elected Prefect of Elbasan. He supported Qemal in his attempt to form a stable administration and was Minister of the Interior for a brief period in 1914 (28 March - 3 September) during the reign of Prince William of Wied.

After the triumph of the Islamic Revolt in 1914 he left Albania together with Wied. He settled in Bari, Italy, and after a couple of months returned to Albania, settling in Shkodër since going back to Elbasan was impossible. In 1915 he joined a secret nationalist committee founded by Hoxha Kadri Prishtina in Shkodër, together with other patriots as Sotir Peçi, Eshref Frashëri, Ali Shefqet Shkupi, etc. The committee was a precursor of the later Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo.

Following the Montenegrin invasion of Shkodër in 1915, he was arrested and sent to internment for a few months together with Luigj Gurakuqi and Sotir Peçi. Following an Austro-Hungarian offensive, Montenegro capitulated and Biçakçiu and other were set free. As a pro-Austrian he propagandized between Albanians not to oppose the Austrian armies. Biçakçiu took part in an unsuccessful congress in his native Elbasan in 1916 to restore Albanian independence, in cooperation with the Austrian authorities, specifically August Ritter von Kral. Biçakçiu aimed at restoring the Prince Wied and the Principality of Albania. The same Austrian authorities would prohibit such an event.