Akhtar Mengal (; born 6 October 1962) is a Pakistani politician from
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
who is the chairman of
Balochistan National Party (Mengal)
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party (Mengal) (Urdu: بلوچستان نيشنل پارٹی ; ) is a political party in Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan, Pakistan. BNP believes in more provincial rights and greater auton ...
. He is also serving as a member of the
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...
since February 2024. He previously served as the
Chief Minister of Balochistan
The Chief Minister of Balochistan () is the head of government of the of Balochistan. The prime minister leads the legislative branch of the Government of Balochistan, and is elected by the Provincial Assembly. Given that he has the assembly' ...
between 1997 and 1998 and later as a member of the
Balochistan Provincial Assembly
The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the Pakistani province of Balochistan, and is located in Quetta, the provincial capital. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of ...
. Mengal also served as a member of
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...
from August 2018 till August 2023.
Early life
Mengal was born on 6 October 1962 in
Wadh,
West Pakistan
West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...
(now, Balochistan, Pakistan) to the former
Chief Minister of Balochistan
The Chief Minister of Balochistan () is the head of government of the of Balochistan. The prime minister leads the legislative branch of the Government of Balochistan, and is elected by the Provincial Assembly. Given that he has the assembly' ...
Ataullah Mengal. He is from the
Mengal tribe. Mengal has two sons, Gurgain Mengal, Brahem Mengal and a daughter, Banari Mengal.
Political career
Mengal returned to
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
on 25 March 2013 after ending four years of
self exile in
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
to participate in the
2013 general elections. His party only has two seats in the 51-member
provincial assembly. One held by Mengal and the other by Hamal Kalmati, who represents
Gwadar
Gwadar (, ) is a Port, port city on the southwestern coast of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a populati ...
. Two candidates of the BNP, Esa Noori and Raouf Mengal, won National Assembly seats from the
Makran
Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...
coastal region and
Khuzdar
Khuzdar ( Balochi, , ) also known as ''Hozdar'', is a city and the administrative headquarters of Khuzdar District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is surrounded by mountainous region of the southwestern portion of the country near ...
, respectively. Akhtar Mengal took oath as a member of
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...
on 13 August 2018.
On 3 September 2024 Mengal handed his resignation from the National Assembly of Pakistan citing the deteriorating situation in Balochistan.
Arrest and release
Akhtar 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 a long march against
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008.
Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...
's military rule. Mengal was released on May 9, 2008 and all charges against him were dropped by the
Government of Sindh
The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...
. The
Balochistan government withdrew all cases, including those of
sedition
Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...
, against Mengal.
On 25 March 2013, Mengal returned to
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
from
Dubai
Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
to take part in the
general elections
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
on 11 May 2013.
He was arrested on 24 October 2024, for protest against reforms.
Uneasy relationship with the Baloch insurgency
Akhtar Mengal has been historically criticised by the Baloch insurgents as well as the security establishment.
In an interview in 2013, he lamented that, “The Baloch militants consider me a traitor while the security establishment also treats me as an enemy."
He is an elder of various such influential families who have their members on both sides of the political divide. Currently a part of the
Pakistan Democratic Movement
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (; PDM) was a coalition of List of political parties in Pakistan, political parties in Pakistan. It was founded in September 2020 as a political movement, opposition movement against Imran Khan, accusing his I ...
(a 13-party coalition currently in power at the
federal level), the association of his brother and nephews with the
Baloch Liberation Army has long been an obstacle to his entry into the mainstream national politics. Javed Mengal (brother) and Nooruddin Mengal and Bhawal Mengal (nephews) have allegedly been involved
in armed militancy in the restive province of Balochistan. However, Akhtar Mengal has condemned the insurgents and publicly called for a political solution to the myriad problems in the province.
References
External links
"The Man in the Iron Cage""Nawaz's mistake"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mengal, Akhtar
Living people
1962 births
Baloch nationalists
Balochistan MPAs 1997–1999
Pakistani MNAs 2018–2023
Chief ministers of Balochistan, Pakistan
Aitchison College alumni
People of the insurgency in Balochistan
Balochistan National Party (Mengal) MNAs
Akhtar
Pakistani prisoners and detainees
Balochistan MPAs 2013–2018
Leaders of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan
People from Khuzdar District
Balochistan MPAs 2024–2029
Pakistani MNAs 2024–2029
Politicians from Balochistan, Pakistan