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Ataullah Mengal

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Sardar
Ataullah Khan Mengal
1st Chief Minister of Balochistan
In office
1 May 1972 – 13 February 1973
GovernorGhaus Bakhsh Bizenjo
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byJam Ghulam Qadir Khan
Personal details
Born(1929-03-24)24 March 1929
Wadh, Kalat State, British Raj
Died2 September 2021(2021-09-02) (aged 92)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Political partyBalochistan National Party (Mengal)
Children4, including Akhtar Mengal

Ataullah Mengal, popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, (24 March 1929 – 2 September 2021) was a veteran politician and feudal figure in Pakistan, hailing from Balochistan. He was the head of the Mengal tribe until he nominated one of his grandsons Sardar Asad Ullah Mengal as his tribal successor. He was also the first Chief Minister of Balochistan during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's premiership from 1 May 1972 to 13 February 1973. He died on 2 September 2021 in Karachi, Sindh.

Early life

Ataullah Mengal was born on 24 March 1929 in Wadh Tehsil and spent most of his childhood in Lasbela before moving to Karachi, Sindh. He was declared the chief (sardar) of the Mengal tribe in 1954.[1]

Career in politics

Mengal was introduced to politics by Mir Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo. Bizenjo ran the election campaign of Mengal and Mengal was later elected to the West Pakistan provincial assembly in 1962.[1] As a member of the legislature, Mengal was critical of the Ayub Khan regime and their One Unit Scheme; one of his speeches against them led to his arrest on charges of sedition.[2]

In May 1972, Mengal became the first chief minister of Balochistan.[1] During the brief tenure in office, tax reforms were instituted and a new police force was formed in Balochistan.[3] Freedom of speech and of the press were encouraged and, in the words of Bizenjo, the governor at the time, Balochistan became "an island of freedom in a sea of political inequalities".[2] Mengal was dismissed by the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in February 1973;[1] one day after Bhutto took office, Mengal, Bizenjo and other local leaders were arrested by the Bhutto government.[2]

Mengal was not released from prison till after General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's 1977 military coup.[2] He chose to go into a self-exile in London during Zia-ul-Haq's rule.[1] On 31 March 1985, he participated in the founding of Sindhi Baloch Pushtoon Front there.[4]

Ataullah Mengal returned to Pakistan and formed the Balochistan National Party in 1996.[5] He led the party in the 1997 elections to capture nine seats in the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan and three in the National Assembly of Pakistan.[5] Mengal's son, Akhtar Mengal (b. 1962), then became the Chief Minister of Balochistan in a coalition government with support from the Jamhoori Wattan Party.[5][6] Ataullah was elected in 1998 to become party chief, but the disputed results prompted the departure of several key party members.[5][7] Later that year, the Balochistan government was dismissed by the federal government after a dispute over nuclear testing in Balochistan.[5][8]

In 1990s, Mengal also remained the head of Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement (Ponm).[1]

In 2009, Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal was one of many candidates considered for the position of President of Pakistan after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf.[9] He was also considered for the post of interim prime minister in 2012 and president of Pakistan in 2013, but he declined the offers.[2]

Death

Mengal died in Karachi, Sindh on 2 September 2021 due to cardiac arrest.[1][10][11] He was suffering from cardiovascular disease.[12] Balochistan National Party (BNP) spokesman confirmed his death and announced that Mengal will be buried in his ancestral graveyard in Wadh, Khuzdar District. Many Pakistani politicians including President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, and Chief Minister of Balochistan, Jam Kamal Khan,[13] ​expressed their condolences over the death of veteran Pakistani politician.[1] Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, and Speaker of Balochistan assembly, Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, also expressed their condolences over the death of Mengal.[10][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Ghalib Nihad. BNP founder and first Balochistan CM Sardar Ataullah Mengal passes away in Karachi. Dawn News. 2 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bhutto, Ali (2 September 2021). "Ataullah Mengal: a rare breed". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  3. ^ Alvi, Najib (June 2016). "Rise And Fall Of First Political Government Of Balochistan (Sardar Attaullah Khan Mengal's Government)" (PDF). Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society. 29 (1). Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. ^ Christophe Jaffrelot (15 July 2015). The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience. Oxford University Press. pp. 113–. ISBN 978-0-19-061330-3.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Balochistan National Party". DAWN.COM. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  6. ^ Optimizer, Seo (8 July 2018). "Akhtar Mengal". ARY NEWS. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  7. ^ Shahid, Saleem (18 July 1998). "Split in BNP over Mengal's election". DAWN WIRE SERVICE. asianstudies.github.io. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  8. ^ Zafar, Mohammed (11 April 2013). "Shahbaz to Mengal: Let bygones be bygones". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 September 2021. Akhtar Mengal's government was sacked in 1998 by the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif reportedly for opposing the federal government's decision to conduct nuclear tests.
  9. ^ Top contenders for office of president Archived 16 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ a b Former CM Balochistan Sardar Attaullah Mengal passes away in Karachi. Business Recorder. 2 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Balochistan's first Chief Minister, Sardar Ataullah Mengal, has passed away". Daily Pakistan (newspaper) (in Urdu). 2 September 2021.
  12. ^ Senior Baloch leader Sardar Ataullah Mengal passes away. Ary News. 2 September 2021.
  13. ^ Veteran Baloch leader Sardar Attaullah Mengal passes away. The Correspondent Pakistan. 2 September 2021.
  14. ^ Speaker Balochsitan Quddus Expresses Grief On Demise Of Sardar Attaullah Mengal. Urdu Point. 2 September 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by
Post created
 Chief Minister of Balochistan
1972–1973 		Succeeded by
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