Ataullah Mengal
Encyclopedia
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. He was born in 1929 in Wadh
, and became the first Chief Minister of Balochistan
during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
's premiership from May 1, 1972 to February 13, 1973.
It was reported that Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal is one of many candidates considered for the position of President of Pakistan
after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf
.
tribe Khair Bakhsh Marri joined the National Awami Party (Wali)
of Khan Wali Khan
and developed a close friendship with Wali Khan over the next decade. Ghaus Bux Bizenjo and Gul Khan Nasir already were members of NAP.. In the 1970 general election
, National Awami Party sweeped the provinces of Balochistan
and N.W.F.P.
, thus forming governments in each of them. In Balochistan, Ataullah Mengal was made the first chief minister of the province.
and was installed as the chief minister on 1 May 1972, the day the martial law was lifted from the country. In his short time as Chief Minister he pushed through many initiatives, in which the province's first university, medical college and board of secondary education were set up as well as the first industrial city of the province, in Hub, Lasbela District
.
The first of which was when the Balochistan police department, mostly officered by people from Punjab or were Punjabis. As there was a provision that employees in the federating provinces would return to their province of origin after the dissolution of the One Unit. Most of the officers insisted on leaving this was despite the fact, Sardar Ataullah Mengal as chief minister moved a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly to do away with the domicile category and suggested that those who had spent several generations in the province should be treated as locals (Rahman 2006). Shaeed Sardar Arif Aziz Muhammed Hassani was also there. Shaheed Sardar Arif Aziz Muhammed Hassani was also the member of NAP. and after that he joined the Baloch National Movement that was the main history. It was later on alleged that the officers were incited to leave through the efforts of PPP supporters and the then Chief Minister of Punjab
Ghulam Mustafa Khar.
Unable to exercise any effective authority, Ataullah Mengal turned to the Baloch Student Organisation to assist in security.
. However, the final straw was the discovery of arms in the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad and Nawab Akbar Bugti
's declaration of the London Plan, that alleged that NAP-led governments in Balochistan and NWFP was seceding to gain independence from Pakistan. Hence, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government used the pretext of arms shipment from Iraq to insurgents and dismissed the Balochistan provincial government in 1973 and declared Presidential Rule. Ataullah Mengal and his colleagues, including Ghaus Bux Bizenjo and Khair Bakhsh Marri were arrested along with other NAP leaders.
A commission, later known as Hyderabad tribunal, was set up by the PPP-led government and was used to convict the NAP leaders, despite its dubious legality and now discredited work. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan
, also suppressed the insurgency in Balochistan by using the air force and with the cooperation of the regime of the Shah
of Iran
. Some tribals, however, did not join the revolt and collaborated with the government in suppressing their co-tribals. Among the tribals who collaborated with the government and the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment
were the Jamali
s, led by the family of Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who became the premier during General Pervez Musharraf
's regime.
After the ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
, negotiations for the winding up of the Hyderabad tribunal and the release of all detainees was initiated leading to their eventual release in 1979.
After Bhutto was deposed in a military coup by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
in 1977, Rahimuddin Khan
was appointed the province's governor and martial law administrator, beginning a tenure characterized by hostility towards the sardars. Mengal subsequently went into exile and took sanctuary in the United Kingdom
that year, where he established contact with the authorities of the erstwhile Soviet Union
through the regime in Kabul
and received financial and logistics support from Moscow
.
(CIA), through Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI), trained and armed the Afghan mujahideen and other Islamic fundamentalist elements and used them to bleed the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the Marris and the Mengals kept away from the anti-Soviet jihad and helped the KGB
, the Soviet intelligence agency, and the KHAD
, the Afghan intelligence agency, in the collection of intelligence regarding the activities of the CIA and the ISI
on the Pakistani side of the border.
, which emerged as the largest political party in the province. Mengal's youngest son, Sardar Akhtar Mengal served as the Chief Minister of Balochistan in 1997, during the premiership of Nawaz Sharif
.
Mengal was involved in a standoff with Pakistani police at his Karachi house in April 2006 after his bodyguards kidnapped three government employees who he accused of attempting to kidnap his children. The kidnapped men were later released and the standoff ended after a week.
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...
. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement 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...
for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe. He was born in 1929 in Wadh
Wadh
Wadh is a town in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan, Pakistan. The population of the town was 48.950 according to the 1998 census. Most of the inhabitants of the sub-district belong to the Mengal tribe...
, and became the first Chief Minister of Balochistan
Chief Minister of Balochistan
The Chief Minister of Balochistan is elected by the Provincial Assembly of the Balochistan to serve as the head of the provincial government in Balochistan, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Aslam Raisani of the Pakistan Peoples Party...
during Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
's premiership from May 1, 1972 to February 13, 1973.
It was reported that Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal is one of many candidates considered for the position of President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
after the resignation of Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
.
Joining National Awami Party
In 1958, Ataullah Mengal along with chief of MarriMarri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
tribe Khair Bakhsh Marri joined the National Awami Party (Wali)
National Awami Party (Wali)
The National Awami Party was formed after a split between Maulana Bhashani and Khan Wali Khan ostensibly over Bhashani's siding with China and Professor Muzaffar Ahmed along with Khan Abdul Wali Khan sided with U.S.S.R in the Sino-Soviet split...
of Khan Wali Khan
Khan Wali Khan
Khan Abdul Wali Khan was Pakistani democratic socialist and Pashtun leader who also served as President of National Awami Party. Son of the prominent Pashtun Bacha Khan, Wali Khan was an activist and a writer against the British India like his father.His early years were marked by his involvement...
and developed a close friendship with Wali Khan over the next decade. Ghaus Bux Bizenjo and Gul Khan Nasir already were members of NAP.. In the 1970 general election
Pakistani general election, 1970
General elections were held for the first time in Pakistan in on 7 December 1970, although the polls in East Pakistan, originally scheduled for October, were delayed by disastrous floods and rescheduled for later in December and January 1971....
, National Awami Party sweeped the provinces of Balochistan
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...
and N.W.F.P.
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
, thus forming governments in each of them. In Balochistan, Ataullah Mengal was made the first chief minister of the province.
Chief Minister of Balochistan
Ataullah Mengal is from an ancestry of powerful feudal sardars. He won the provincial seat from his native KohluKohlu
Kohlu is the capital of Kohlu District in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°15'0E with an altitude of 1183 metres . The Marri tribe is main ethnic group in the city....
and was installed as the chief minister on 1 May 1972, the day the martial law was lifted from the country. In his short time as Chief Minister he pushed through many initiatives, in which the province's first university, medical college and board of secondary education were set up as well as the first industrial city of the province, in Hub, Lasbela District
Lasbela District
Lasbela is a coastal district of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It became a separate district in Kalat Division on 30 June 1954. The name is derived from the words Las which in Sanskrit signifies a settlement or lived in or lively and Bela which means "A Sea's Shore" in Sanskrit and is also the...
.
Dismissal of NAP-led government
Despite Mengal's best efforts, the NAP government was plunged into several crises which culminated with his governments dismissal.The first of which was when the Balochistan police department, mostly officered by people from Punjab or were Punjabis. As there was a provision that employees in the federating provinces would return to their province of origin after the dissolution of the One Unit. Most of the officers insisted on leaving this was despite the fact, Sardar Ataullah Mengal as chief minister moved a resolution in the Balochistan Assembly to do away with the domicile category and suggested that those who had spent several generations in the province should be treated as locals (Rahman 2006). Shaeed Sardar Arif Aziz Muhammed Hassani was also there. Shaheed Sardar Arif Aziz Muhammed Hassani was also the member of NAP. and after that he joined the Baloch National Movement that was the main history. It was later on alleged that the officers were incited to leave through the efforts of PPP supporters and the then Chief Minister of Punjab
Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)
The Chief Minister of Punjab is elected by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab to serve as the head of the provincial government in Punjab, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Shahbaz Sharif, who became the Chief Minister of Punjab as being restored after Governor's rule starting from...
Ghulam Mustafa Khar.
Unable to exercise any effective authority, Ataullah Mengal turned to the Baloch Student Organisation to assist in security.
Discovery of London Plan
The policing crisis also gave way to a subsequent intra tribal conflict that broke out, which again the Baloch nationalists believe was fomented by the then Interior Minister Abdul Qayyum KhanAbdul Qayyum Khan
Abdul Qayyum Khan was a major figure in Pakistan politics, in particular in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province where he served as deputy speaker, Chief Minister and Minister in the Central Government and as Federal Interior Minister.-Early life:His father Khan Abdul Hakim was a Tehsildar in N.W.F.P...
. However, the final straw was the discovery of arms in the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad and Nawab Akbar Bugti
Nawab Akbar Bugti
Akbar Khan Bugti was the Tumandar of the Bugti tribe of Baloch and served as Minister of State for Interior and Governor of Balochistan Province in Pakistan.He is the head of the Bugti Family...
's declaration of the London Plan, that alleged that NAP-led governments in Balochistan and NWFP was seceding to gain independence from Pakistan. Hence, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government used the pretext of arms shipment from Iraq to insurgents and dismissed the Balochistan provincial government in 1973 and declared Presidential Rule. Ataullah Mengal and his colleagues, including Ghaus Bux Bizenjo and Khair Bakhsh Marri were arrested along with other NAP leaders.
Hyderabad tribunal
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
, also suppressed the insurgency in Balochistan by using the air force and with the cooperation of the regime of the Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Some tribals, however, did not join the revolt and collaborated with the government in suppressing their co-tribals. Among the tribals who collaborated with the government and the Pakistani military-intelligence establishment
Establishment (Pakistan)
The Establishment is a term used commonly by Pakistani political scientists and also by political scholars and analysts around the world for the powerful military-dominant oligarchy in Pakistan...
were the Jamali
Jamali
Jamali is the name of a Baloch tribe in Pakistan. Jamali tribe consists of 14 more tribes,like Esaani,Mureedani,Walwaani,Dodaani,Lalwaani. A large number of Jamali tribes also live in province of Sindh; these peopole speak Balochi,Sindhi,Seraiki,Punjabi and Urdu languages. In Sindh majority of...
s, led by the family of Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who became the premier during General Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
's regime.
After the ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
, negotiations for the winding up of the Hyderabad tribunal and the release of all detainees was initiated leading to their eventual release in 1979.
Differences with NAP leaders
By this time a clear divide between NAP leader Wali Khan and Baloch leaders Ataullah Mengal and Ghaus Bux Bizenjo. Mengal and many other Baloch nationalists increasingly believed that the Army was responsible for a brutal military operation and that they should be opposed by force, whereas Wali Khan felt more personal bitterness towards Ali Bhutto as he felt Bhutto had ordered his assassination on more than one occasion. This divide turned into a total split when Ataullah Mengal allied himself with Khair Bakhsh Marri and attempted to take over the National Democratic Party (a successor to the then banned NAP). Sherbaz Khan Mazari, president of the National Democratic Party and a champion for the Baloch cause tried to reconcile these differences but did not succeed. When this attempt failed Ataullah Mengal left the party.After Bhutto was deposed in a military coup by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
in 1977, Rahimuddin Khan
Rahimuddin Khan
Rahimuddin Khan Afridi is a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army who was the fourth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1984 to 1987. He was also the longest-serving Governor and martial law administrator of Balochistan, from 1978 to when he resigned in 1984...
was appointed the province's governor and martial law administrator, beginning a tenure characterized by hostility towards the sardars. Mengal subsequently went into exile and took sanctuary in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
that year, where he established contact with the authorities of the erstwhile Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
through the regime in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
and received financial and logistics support from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Assisting Afghan communists
When the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA), through Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
(ISI), trained and armed the Afghan mujahideen and other Islamic fundamentalist elements and used them to bleed the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, the Marris and the Mengals kept away from the anti-Soviet jihad and helped the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, the Soviet intelligence agency, and the KHAD
KHAD
Khadamat-e Etela'at-e Dawlati translates directly to English as: "Government Information Agency". However, this phrase is more correctly translated as Government Intelligence Service...
, the Afghan intelligence agency, in the collection of intelligence regarding the activities of the CIA and the ISI
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
on the Pakistani side of the border.
Return to Pakistan and founding of BNP
Sardar Ataullah Mengal returned to Balochistan in 1995, after which he formed the Balochistan National PartyBalochistan National Party
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
, which emerged as the largest political party in the province. Mengal's youngest son, Sardar Akhtar Mengal served as the Chief Minister of Balochistan in 1997, during the premiership of Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
.
Mengal was involved in a standoff with Pakistani police at his Karachi house in April 2006 after his bodyguards kidnapped three government employees who he accused of attempting to kidnap his children. The kidnapped men were later released and the standoff ended after a week.
See also
- MengalMengalMengal is a Brahui / Baloch tribe in Balochistan, Pakistan- Demographics :The Mengal tribe is one of the largest Baloch tribe. Mengal people speak Brahui, a Dravidian language that has been heavily influenced by other Iranian languages spoken in the area, especially Balochi...
- Khan Wali KhanKhan Wali KhanKhan Abdul Wali Khan was Pakistani democratic socialist and Pashtun leader who also served as President of National Awami Party. Son of the prominent Pashtun Bacha Khan, Wali Khan was an activist and a writer against the British India like his father.His early years were marked by his involvement...
- Sardar Akhtar Mengal
- Mir Gul Khan NaseerMir Gul Khan NaseerMir Gul Khan Nasir, also widely regarded as Malek o-Sho'arā Balochistan was a prominent politician, poet, historian, and journalist of Balochistan, Pakistan. Born on 14 May 1914 in Noshki, Gul Khan Nasir was at the forefront of the Baloch Nationalist Movement and was most active between 1935 to 1980...
- Mir Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo
- National Awami PartyNational Awami PartyThe National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
- Balochistan National PartyBalochistan National PartyThe Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
- List of political parties in Pakistan
External links
- Rahman, Shamimur. "Nothing but provincial autonomy" DAWN Magazine, February 12, 2006. Last accessed on 21-02-06