Sardar Attaullah Mengal, an important figure in Baloch politics, died on September 2, 2021 in a hospital in Karachi due to prolonged illness. A detailed look at his life on his first anniversary.
There are four big names among the leaders who played a role in bringing a fundamental change in the politics of the Baloch nation and determining a direction, including Sardar Attaullah Mengal, Mir Ghos Bakhsh Bizenjo, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri.
After the death of these leaders, is Baloch national politics at a crossroads? The question is, what kind of leaders does politics need at this time? Because like in the past, there is no longer politics on the basis of tribalism and leadership, but decision is made through elections and votes.
Dr. Shah Muhammad Marri, a well-known intellectual who keeps an eye on Baloch politics, history and culture, says that ‘now we have to take care that we don’t have ready leaders like in the past, but now we have to create them.’
He said, “When our past elites did politics, they met the standard of leadership at that time and they did not see any sorrow or suffering in their whole life, did not see any camps, did not endure violence and did not see the disappearance of children.” See He stood on the right line of history.’
Dr Murry adds: ‘The characteristic of these political leaders was that they were anti-imperialists. Proponents of provincial autonomy were opposed to one unit and wanted to establish an enlightened democracy in the country.’
He explains that ‘at that time the standard was that what was needed was not a political worker but a political leader. Where did the political leaders come from? Leaders like Mir Ghosz Bizenjo, who had no influential family background, did politics all their lives.’
He said that the remaining three of our leaders who passed away were tribal chiefs, who had more support because of their tribe. He had two and a half lakh followers, who believed in him religiously. He used to get decisions and Jirga from them.’
Dr. Shah Muhammad says that in the past, the leaders met the requirements of the time, but today’s requirement is something else and its standards have also changed.
They say that at first that institution, which we used to call Sardari Nizam, has ended. “The customs and traditions are the same as those of the Baloch nation, but now there is no leader who has much vision and public support.”
According to Dr. Shah Murri, the situation has now become that if a chief does not have the support of the government or the levies, he cannot even win the election.
He said that ‘the people here, students, farmers, middle class or those people who are a part of the Baloch democratic movement, no one will come from heaven to guide them, it will have to be made from this.’
He added: ‘It is a unipolar world. There is only one America and its allies in the whole world. Two or four socialist countries are of no importance. Once upon a time there used to be a neutral movement, that too has now ended.’
According to Dr Murry: ‘In such a situation every people of the world will have to make their own decision. The leadership we used to get has stopped. These were the last people to leave. Now it has become difficult for us to find a leader Sardar, who is acceptable to all of Balochistan i.e. from Mount Sulaiman to Gwadar, from Afghanistan to Balochistan and from Sindh to Balochistan.
In Balochistan in earlier times, the main leaders in the field of politics were Sardars and Nawabs, among whom the three Sardars Mengal, Murri and Bugti were often called the root of the problems.
Analysts believe that with the changing standards and requirements of politics, the challenges have also changed, which need to be understood.
Shah Muhammad says that Mir Ghos Bizenjo drew people towards politics. All the past political leaders considered Bizenjo as their political mentor. Now it is the same turn again.
He said that one has to follow Akbarin’s teachings and his teachings and follow the direction given by him. “Whether you like it or not, it has become the direction of your general politics. Now Baloch general politics needs to be run on the same path.
On the other hand, Dr. Hakeem Lahri, a close political friend of Sardar Attaullah Mengal and founding member of the Baloch Students Organization, believes that there is no vacuum of political leadership in the Baloch nation.
He said that leaders are born in living nations. ‘Our history is that we have been at war since 500 BC. This is the situation so far. History repeats itself. Today, history is repeating itself.
Dr. Hakeem says that in the current situation, people are suffering from division. They believe that time and circumstances will bring people together once again.
He said: ‘In our time, a political worker was trained. We were regularly lectured on politics, history and culture in moral, academic and political terms.
Dr. Hakeem says that today’s society is characterless. ‘Our leaders are sold on the spot. Our assembly is in two and a half. Now no one can go to the assembly without blessings.’
On the other hand, Muhammad Ali Talpar, a well-known intellectual and involved in the Baloch movement, believes that with the death of four great leaders, including Sardar Mengal, there has definitely been a vacuum in the Baloch leadership.
He said that at present there is no one on the political horizon of Balochistan, who can follow in his footsteps, but his example is there to follow.
Mir Muhammad Ali Talpar told Independent Urdu that though leaders separate physically, they leave behind their examples. If their footsteps are followed, the damage will be minimized.
He said that these prominent leaders of Balochistan politics were the product of the dire situation faced by the Baloch nation in 1947, when Pakistan refused to accept the political, economic, cultural and social rights of the Baloch people.
He further said that the situation is the same for the Baloch nation. “The Baloch nation is not a barren nation and as it has produced these prominent leaders, it still has the potential to produce leaders who will defend the rights of the Baloch and fight like these leaders.” .’
Muhammad Ali Talpar further said that he should never lose hope of the merits of the Baloch nation. ‘Such leaders will continue to be born who will decide the destiny of the nation.’
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He said that there were many Sardars in Balochistan and there are. It was his nationalist politics that mattered that set the direction and he became a symbol of the nation for speaking out against the state’s anti-Baloch policies, joining Nawab Khair Bakhsh and others in demanding Baloch rights. became
Few aspects of Sardar Attaullah Mengal’s life
‘Attaullah Mengal was a more typical Baloch than his two companions, with a thin and frail body, brilliant black eyes and a skillfully trimmed beard. He was respected in the traditional Baloch society for his outspokenness and eloquence and spoke directly by looking into the eyes of the interlocutor.
These are the words of renowned journalist and writer Slig S. Harrison, who has mentioned them in his book ‘In Afghanistan Shadow Balochistan Nationalism and Sweet Temptation’.
He further writes that Sardar Attaullah Mengal built his reputation as a progressive Sardar in the 1950s. He gradually drifted into political life.
Sardar Attaullah was a man of great courage. He used to call Bhutto (Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto) Brabhala half a time a day and express his grief. It had become their habit.’
Another thing about Sardar Attaullah Mengal that is not known to many people is that he used to make traditional Balochi chappals from only one shop in Quetta. Mohammad Ismail, the owner of this shop known as ‘Saadat Shoes’, told Independent Urdu that ‘Sardar Attaullah Mengal did not use shoes from any shop other than mine.’
He said, ‘I used to make slippers for them myself, which are made from a special leather. This leather was popular at the time and had a crocodile skin design.’
Muhammad Ismail says that ‘since this leather was expensive, Sardar Attaullah Mengal himself used to order it, hand it over to me and tell me to make shoes from it.’
He further said that Sardar Attaullah used to make covers for his guns along with chappals. They did not meet after the fall of his government and the operation in Jhalwan.
Muhammad Ismail says that the shoe Sardar Attaullah Mengal used. Because of this, it became known as ‘Mengal Cut’ and is loved by all the Mangal tribes, which is still popular today.
Sardar Attaullah Mengal was born in Lasbela in 1930. He received his primary education in Bela and further education in Karachi. In 1954, Mengal was elected chief of the tribe.
Ibrahim Jalis Nguri writes in one of his articles that ‘These were the only chiefs, who were elected by vote.’
In 1956, he was elected as an independent member of the former West Pakistan Assembly from Kalat district. He was persuaded by Mir Ghos Bakhsh Bizenjo to contest this election. In 1962 and 1963 he was arrested. The first was released after three months and the second time in January 1967, after which he joined the National Awami Party.
In the 1970 elections, Sardar Attaullah Mengal was elected as a member of the Provincial Assembly from Jhalwan and on 26 April 1972 he was elected as the head of the National Awami Party and JUI mixed parliamentary party in the Provincial Assembly and was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 1 May. He became the first Chief Minister of the province.
He also faced various problems internally during his rule. At the same time there was a police strike.
Dr. Hakeem Lahri, a close political friend of Sardar Attaullah Mengal and a politician, said that when the federal government and the Punjab government pressured him during the Chief Ministership of Sardar Attaullah Mengal to send back the police officers from Punjab. Meanwhile, the police went on strike.
Sardar Attaullah Mengal did not want the police to leave here. He held a police darbar in front of us and addressed the officials saying that he will give them more privileges. They will be given the same salaries as the Baloch and Pashtun nations.
Dr. Hakeem said that ‘when the police went on strike, the management of Quetta city was taken over by other political workers including me and they continued to control other matters including traffic.’
He said that even knowing that Sardar Attaullah is a Sardar, we as a political activist never considered him as Sardar in political matters, but we were a pressure group and the leaders of Awami National Party could not make any decision without us. .’
During this period, after the end of the government, there was a civil war in Balochistan for many years and a military operation was carried out to end it. At the time when the insurgency was going on in Balochistan, Sardar Attaullah and the leadership of the National Awami Party were locked up in Hyderabad Jail.
After the Pakistani army came to power in 1977, the Hyderabad Tribunal was dissolved and Sardar Attaullah was released along with others. But the long prison experience and the situation in Balochistan completely changed his political thinking, after which he was no longer convinced of the viability of a federal system in the realm of Pakistan.
Personally, Sardar Mengal was a very gentle person and he used to meet everyone with open-heartedness according to the Baloch traditions, he explained for the best. After listening to the opponent’s position calmly, he used to explain his point of view in a low tone.
Syed Jafar Ahmad writes that ‘philosophy and theoretical debates were almost non-existent in his conversation, but his words were logical and reasoned. Often his tone became bitter and sarcastic. He did not hide his hatred for the alleged perpetrators of atrocities against the Baloch. While doing this, the redness of his face would increase and his eyes would start speaking.’
Regarding Sardar Attaullah, his close friend Dr. Hakeem Lahri says that his fame was that during this period, this slogan was famous about him that above Allah, below Attaullah, which improved his respect among the people. Suffice it to describe the method.’
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2024-06-18 16:30:53