Mir Nooruddin Mengal
Encyclopedia
Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was a senior Baloch
Politician who was active in Balochistan's political scene for nearly four decades, from 1970 to 2010. He belonged to the famed Zagar Mengal
tribe and was the nephew of the Baloch National Poet Mir Gul Khan Nasir. His father's name was Mir Lal Bakhsh Mengal and he had seven siblings.
. His father was a prominent tribal and political figure of Balochistan while his uncle Gul Khan Nasir belonged to the top tier Baloch Leadership along with Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, Abdul Aziz Kurd
and, later, Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal and Khair Bux Marri. As a result of this he was exposed to politics from a very early age. This exposure instilled a nascent sense of political awareness in him which, with age, kept growing.
Mengal passed High School from Kalat and after matriculating from Noshki, enrolled in F.Sc Pre-Engineering in Government Science College, Quetta.
and was accepted. Mengal had chosen a University in Moscow
because at that time it was a very common practice for Baloch students to go to Russia
in pursuit of a higher education but because of his political activities (which he had already begun by 1970 from BSO's
platform) his name was put on the Exit Control List
and he was unable to go.
With that door closed, Mengal applied for Mining Engineering
at University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore in 1973 and was, once again, accepted. He spent four years in Lahore and graduated with a B.E Degree in 1977.
After serving his second term as the Vice Chairman of BSO, he joined the political party of Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, The Pakistan National Party. After Mir Ghaus Bakhsh's death in August 1989, the leadership of the party shifted to Mir Bizen Bizenjo but he wasn't able to hold on to it for long. When Mir Bizen vacated the office of the Party President, PNP was thrown into turmoil. During this tumultuous time the position of Party Organizer was also vacant, so Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was named the Organizer of the Party. After successfully organizing the council session of PNP where Mir Hasil Bizenjo was named President, Mengal went back to being the Deputy Organizer of the Party while Raziq Bugti became the Organizer. A few months after this, in 1992, Mir Noor-ud-din was elected as the Vice President
of PNP, an office he held until the merger of PNP with BNM in 1996.
By 1996 it seemed that no single political party was able to represent the whole Province of Balochistan. In light of this discussions began between the leaders of Pakistan National Party and Baloch National Movement. Mengal played a central role in these talks and was pivotal in the merger of the two parties to form Balochistan National Party
. Mir Noor-ud-din was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of BNP after the merger and held the position until his death in October 2010.
Mengal remained an active and loyal member of the BNP right up until his death. When the Balochistan National Party was split into two factions i.e. BNP Awami which was a forward block led by Israr Zehri and BNP which was led by Akhtar Mengal, Mir Noor-ud-din remained in BNP proving his loyalty. He set up his political base in his hometown of Kalat and was arrested and persecuted for his political beliefs numerous times from 2000 to 2007 . In 2006, Balochistan National Party announced a Long March against, what they termed, the continued exploitation of the Baloch land and people by the Establishment especially during the dictatorship of General Pervez Musharaff. The long march was to start from Gwadar and culminate at Quetta. Before the long march could even begin, the Government launched a crackdown against the BNP Leaders. Party President Akhtar Mengal
was the first to be arrested triggering protests throughout Balochistan. After Akhtar Mengal's arrest Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was chosen as the Acting President of BNP. On January 3, 2007 he too was arrested while en route to Khuzdar
to meet incarcerated party workers. Political cases under 16 M.P.O were registered against him and he was put under physical remand in Quetta for a month after which he was shifted to Khuzdar Jail where he was detained for four more months.
After being released, Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal began preparing to take part in the upcoming 2008 elections. He submitted his papers for the National Assembly Seat from Kalat but at the nick of time APDM (which was an alliance of several political parties against General Musharaff's regime) announced to boycott the elections and since BNP was also a part of APDM, therefore all the BNP candidates withdrew their candidacy.
Akhtar Mengal was released in 2008 after a change of regime and went to Dubai
for treatment of a disease he had contracted while in detention. So in his absence the party was being run by Habib Jalib Baloch
, Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini and Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal. In 2010 the BNP Leaders began receiving death threats and the threats were put into action for the first time when a BNP worker, Naseer Langove, was murdered in May 2010. A group named Baloch Musallah Difaee Tanzeem (Baloch Armed Defence Organization) claimed the responsibility for the murder and issued a statement claiming that their intended target had been Habib Jalib. On 14 July 2010 the shadow organization struck again, this time succeeding in assassinating Jalib in front of his house in Quetta. Only four days later another BNP Leader Haji Liaquat Mengal was assassinated near his house in Kalat
.
Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was the man directing the affairs of Balochistan National Party in the absence of Akhtar Mengal and he was also one of the few top leaders of the party who wasn't keeping private security guards with him. On 13 October 2010 he had gone to the market in Kalat to get his Blood Pressure checked. As soon as he got back and turned his car into the gate of his house, unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle came up behind him and opened indiscriminate fire upon him. He was hit by three bullets; One in the neck and two in the back. He was immediately rushed to the local hospital but none of the doctors who were supposed to be on duty were there. Mengal was sent to Quetta without being given basic first aid. He died on the way to Quetta due to profuse bleeding. He had been conscious for nearly 75 minutes after being shot. As the news of his death spread in Balochistan, the traffic began thinning on the roads from the fear of riots erupting. Mengal was buried beside his father's grave in Kalat the same evening. Hundreds of people flocked to attend his funeral.
His death was assailed by all the local and national political parties such as the National Party
, the Awami National Party
, Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party
, Balochistan National Party
, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz
, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-i Azam
, the Baloch Liberation Front, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
and the Pakistan People's Party. On 14 and 15 October all the main cities of Balochistan remained closed to mourn Mengal's death. Strikes were also observed on the National Highway by BNP and BNF over Mir Noor-ud-din's assassination.
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
Politician who was active in Balochistan's political scene for nearly four decades, from 1970 to 2010. He belonged to the famed Zagar Mengal
Zagar Mengal
Zagar is one of the two main branches of the Mengal tribe. Zagar Mengals inhabit the northwest and central parts of Balochistan, Pakistan—mainly Nushki, Chagai, and Kalat,Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan...
tribe and was the nephew of the Baloch National Poet Mir Gul Khan Nasir. His father's name was Mir Lal Bakhsh Mengal and he had seven siblings.
Early life
Mir Noor-ud-din was brought up in his hometown of KalatKalat
Kalat or Qalat is a historical town located in Kalat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kalat is the capital of Kalat District and is known locally as Kalat-i-Baloch and Kalat-i-Sewa....
. His father was a prominent tribal and political figure of Balochistan while his uncle Gul Khan Nasir belonged to the top tier Baloch Leadership along with Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, Abdul Aziz Kurd
Abdul Aziz Kurd
Abdul Aziz Kurd was an early leader of the Baloch nationalist movement in Balochistan. Along with Yousaf Aziz Magsi he founded the Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochan based in Mastung in 1920 as the first Baloch nationalist political party.-See also:* Kurd...
and, later, Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal and Khair Bux Marri. As a result of this he was exposed to politics from a very early age. This exposure instilled a nascent sense of political awareness in him which, with age, kept growing.
Mengal passed High School from Kalat and after matriculating from Noshki, enrolled in F.Sc Pre-Engineering in Government Science College, Quetta.
Higher education
After he had finished college, Gul Khan Nasir advised Mengal to get into a university instead of just relying on a college degree. Following his uncle's advice, he applied to Patrice Lumumba UniversityPeoples' Friendship University of Russia
The Peoples' Friendship University of Russia is an educational and research institution located in the South of Moscow and is ranked by the Ministry of Education of Russia as the country's third-best university after Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University...
and was accepted. Mengal had chosen a University in 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...
because at that time it was a very common practice for Baloch students to go to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in pursuit of a higher education but because of his political activities (which he had already begun by 1970 from BSO's
Baloch Students Organization
The Baloch Students Organization, or BSO was founded in 26 November 1967 as nationalist student organization in Pakistani part of occupied Balochistan. The main objectives of BSO were to organize and educate Baloch youth politically for the liberation of Balochistan.It this time BSO is divided into...
platform) his name was put on the Exit Control List
Exit Control List
The Exit Control List is maintained by the government of Pakistan under the Exit from Pakistan Ordinance. Those persons on the list are prohibited from leaving Pakistan....
and he was unable to go.
With that door closed, Mengal applied for Mining Engineering
Mining engineering
Mining engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.Mineral...
at University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore in 1973 and was, once again, accepted. He spent four years in Lahore and graduated with a B.E Degree in 1977.
Politics
Throughout his student life, Mengal had been active in politics and from 1974 to 1976 had served as BSO's Vice Chairman. During his time in Lahore he had opened sixteen units of BSO in different cities of Punjab. After returning to Quetta he served a second term as the Vice Chairman of BSO from 1978 to 1980 and while he managed to secure a job as a Mining Engineer in a private mining company, his political life remained dominant over his professional life. So much so, in fact, that he eventually quit his job to devote all his time and energy to politics.After serving his second term as the Vice Chairman of BSO, he joined the political party of Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, The Pakistan National Party. After Mir Ghaus Bakhsh's death in August 1989, the leadership of the party shifted to Mir Bizen Bizenjo but he wasn't able to hold on to it for long. When Mir Bizen vacated the office of the Party President, PNP was thrown into turmoil. During this tumultuous time the position of Party Organizer was also vacant, so Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was named the Organizer of the Party. After successfully organizing the council session of PNP where Mir Hasil Bizenjo was named President, Mengal went back to being the Deputy Organizer of the Party while Raziq Bugti became the Organizer. A few months after this, in 1992, Mir Noor-ud-din was elected as the Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of PNP, an office he held until the merger of PNP with BNM in 1996.
By 1996 it seemed that no single political party was able to represent the whole Province of Balochistan. In light of this discussions began between the leaders of Pakistan National Party and Baloch National Movement. Mengal played a central role in these talks and was pivotal in the merger of the two parties to form Balochistan National Party
Balochistan National Party
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
. Mir Noor-ud-din was elected as a member of the Central Executive Committee of BNP after the merger and held the position until his death in October 2010.
Mengal remained an active and loyal member of the BNP right up until his death. When the Balochistan National Party was split into two factions i.e. BNP Awami which was a forward block led by Israr Zehri and BNP which was led by Akhtar Mengal, Mir Noor-ud-din remained in BNP proving his loyalty. He set up his political base in his hometown of Kalat and was arrested and persecuted for his political beliefs numerous times from 2000 to 2007 . In 2006, Balochistan National Party announced a Long March against, what they termed, the continued exploitation of the Baloch land and people by the Establishment especially during the dictatorship of General Pervez Musharaff. The long march was to start from Gwadar and culminate at Quetta. Before the long march could even begin, the Government launched a crackdown against the BNP Leaders. Party President Akhtar Mengal
Akhtar Mengal
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 , and the son of prominent politician, Sardar Ataullah Mengal....
was the first to be arrested triggering protests throughout Balochistan. After Akhtar Mengal's arrest Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was chosen as the Acting President of BNP. On January 3, 2007 he too was arrested while en route to Khuzdar
Khuzdar
Khuzdar or Khozdar is a town located in Khuzdar District in Balochistan, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the capital of Khuzdar District, which was created on 1 March 1974...
to meet incarcerated party workers. Political cases under 16 M.P.O were registered against him and he was put under physical remand in Quetta for a month after which he was shifted to Khuzdar Jail where he was detained for four more months.
After being released, Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal began preparing to take part in the upcoming 2008 elections. He submitted his papers for the National Assembly Seat from Kalat but at the nick of time APDM (which was an alliance of several political parties against General Musharaff's regime) announced to boycott the elections and since BNP was also a part of APDM, therefore all the BNP candidates withdrew their candidacy.
Akhtar Mengal was released in 2008 after a change of regime and went to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
for treatment of a disease he had contracted while in detention. So in his absence the party was being run by Habib Jalib Baloch
Habib Jalib Baloch
Habib Jalib Baloch was a Baloch nationalist politician who had served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan and as the secretary general of the Balochistan National Party. In his student days he served in a number of leadership positions of the Baloch Students Organization.He was shot dead by...
, Dr Jahanzaib Jamaldini and Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal. In 2010 the BNP Leaders began receiving death threats and the threats were put into action for the first time when a BNP worker, Naseer Langove, was murdered in May 2010. A group named Baloch Musallah Difaee Tanzeem (Baloch Armed Defence Organization) claimed the responsibility for the murder and issued a statement claiming that their intended target had been Habib Jalib. On 14 July 2010 the shadow organization struck again, this time succeeding in assassinating Jalib in front of his house in Quetta. Only four days later another BNP Leader Haji Liaquat Mengal was assassinated near his house in Kalat
Kalat
Kalat or Qalat is a historical town located in Kalat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kalat is the capital of Kalat District and is known locally as Kalat-i-Baloch and Kalat-i-Sewa....
.
Assassination
After the death of Habib JalibHabib Jalib Baloch
Habib Jalib Baloch was a Baloch nationalist politician who had served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan and as the secretary general of the Balochistan National Party. In his student days he served in a number of leadership positions of the Baloch Students Organization.He was shot dead by...
Mir Noor-ud-din Mengal was the man directing the affairs of Balochistan National Party in the absence of Akhtar Mengal and he was also one of the few top leaders of the party who wasn't keeping private security guards with him. On 13 October 2010 he had gone to the market in Kalat to get his Blood Pressure checked. As soon as he got back and turned his car into the gate of his house, unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle came up behind him and opened indiscriminate fire upon him. He was hit by three bullets; One in the neck and two in the back. He was immediately rushed to the local hospital but none of the doctors who were supposed to be on duty were there. Mengal was sent to Quetta without being given basic first aid. He died on the way to Quetta due to profuse bleeding. He had been conscious for nearly 75 minutes after being shot. As the news of his death spread in Balochistan, the traffic began thinning on the roads from the fear of riots erupting. Mengal was buried beside his father's grave in Kalat the same evening. Hundreds of people flocked to attend his funeral.
His death was assailed by all the local and national political parties such as the National Party
National Party
-Active parties:-Former parties:...
, the Awami National Party
Awami National Party
The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
, Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party
Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party
Pukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party / ) is a Pashtun democratic political party in Pakistan. The moto of PkMAP is to unite Pushtuns of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan.Mahmood Khan Achakzai is the current party chairman...
, Balochistan National Party
Balochistan National Party
The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan...
, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz
Pakistan Muslim League (N)
The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism...
, Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-i Azam
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections....
, the Baloch Liberation Front, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008...
and the Pakistan People's Party. On 14 and 15 October all the main cities of Balochistan remained closed to mourn Mengal's death. Strikes were also observed on the National Highway by BNP and BNF over Mir Noor-ud-din's assassination.