Akhtar Mengal
Encyclopedia
Sardar Akhtar Mengal is a former Chief Minister of the province of Balochistan
in Pakistan
. He is the president of the Baloch political party in the province, the Balochistan National Party
(BNP), and the son of prominent politician, Sardar Ataullah Mengal
.
He was released on May 9, 2008 and all charges against him were dropped by the Government of Sindh
. The Balochistan government withdrew all cases, including those of sedition
, against Sardar Akhtar Mengal, but Mengal’s Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) termed the action a “cosmetic measure taken by a powerless provincial government”. The actual centres of power in the country were the military and the intelligence agencies, he said, adding that the establishment did not support cooperation between political forces and did not want Mengal and hundreds of BNP leaders released.
The Balochistan National Party was holding a demonstration protesting the delay in Ahktar Mengal's release when word of Mengal’s release reached them.
To express their pleasure, they distributed sweets on the occasion. Addressing party workers, BNP's acting president Jahan Zeb Jamaldini and Secretary General Habib Jalib demanded the release of all detained political leaders and workers, an end to military operations in Balochistan and the recovery of missing persons. They vowed that they would continue their fight against the feudal system.
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He is the president of the Baloch political party in the province, the Balochistan National Party
Balochistan National Party
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
(BNP), and the son of prominent politician, Sardar Ataullah Mengal
Ataullah Mengal
Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal , popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, is a well-known political and feudal figure of Pakistan hailing from Balochistan. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement in Pakistan for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe...
.
Arrest and release
Mengal was arrested in September 2006, along with around 700 other political workers, in a government crackdown in Balochistan. He was held because he was planning to do a long march against the Musharaf regime. He was reportedly produced in court in an "iron cage".He was released on May 9, 2008 and all charges against him were dropped by the Government of Sindh
Government of Sindh
Government of Sindh is based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is home to the Sindhis, Muhajirs, Pashtuns and a whole array of other ethnic and linguistic groups. Neighbouring regions are Balochistan to the west and north, Punjab in the north and...
. The Balochistan government withdrew all cases, including those of sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
, against Sardar Akhtar Mengal, but Mengal’s Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) termed the action a “cosmetic measure taken by a powerless provincial government”. The actual centres of power in the country were the military and the intelligence agencies, he said, adding that the establishment did not support cooperation between political forces and did not want Mengal and hundreds of BNP leaders released.
The Balochistan National Party was holding a demonstration protesting the delay in Ahktar Mengal's release when word of Mengal’s release reached them.
To express their pleasure, they distributed sweets on the occasion. Addressing party workers, BNP's acting president Jahan Zeb Jamaldini and Secretary General Habib Jalib demanded the release of all detained political leaders and workers, an end to military operations in Balochistan and the recovery of missing persons. They vowed that they would continue their fight against the feudal system.