EDITORIAL: Sardar Attaullah Mengal, the first chief minister of Balochistan province and father of a former chief minister of the same province, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, is no more in this world. Representing the then National Awami Party (NAP), Mengal remained, albeit briefly, in the position of chief minister until his government was dismissed by the then prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He went into self-imposed exile in London after Gen Ziaul Haq came to power.
Born in 1929 at his hometown Wadh in Balochistan, Mengal received education from Lahore’s Aitchison College. In his old age, his health became increasingly frail. Mengal was a cultured and intelligent man and widely known for his political astuteness. In other words, his personality was characterised by refined taste and manners and good education. It is widely believed that Mir Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo (father of Mir Hasil Bizenjo), who is remembered in Balochistan as ‘father of democracy’, introduced Mengal to politics by running the latter’s election campaign to have him elected to the West Pakistan provincial assembly in 1962.
Mengal’s death also brings under spotlight the fact that he was perhaps the last among the Baloch chieftains or nawabs whose involvement in politics left a lasting imprint on the histories of Baloch people living in Balochistan, southern Punjab, Sindh, south-east Iran (Sistan-Balochistan) and southern Afghanistan. Mengal was as tall as Jam of Lasbella Ghulam Qadir Khan, Nawab Akbar Bugti, Nawab Khair Bux Marri and Sardar Sherbaz Mazari insofar as Baloch politics in Pakistan is concerned. He was widely known—among his peers in particular—for his ability to think quickly and effectively or decide to do something difficult with extreme ease. He was also known for answering questions about the Balochistan unrest with the dexterity of an acclaimed politician. He will always be remembered for creating greater awareness about what is going on in politics among his people in a meaningful manner.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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