Akhtar Mengal - a profile
Pakistan
Mengal contested his first election in 1988 and won from PB-31 on BNA ticket
By Ahad Khan
Early life and Education:
Akhtar Mengal was born on Oct 6, 1962 to a tribal chieftain of Mengal clan, Sardar Attaullah Mengal, who was the first chief minister of Balochistan.
Akhtar Mengal's academic credentials include a BA degree.
Lesser known facts:
1) Akhtar Mengal was Balochistan CM from Feb 22, 1997 to Aug 13, 1998.
2) Akhtar Mengal was arrested in September 2006 in a state crackdown on those who were planning long march against Pervez Musharraf. He was released on May 9, 2008 when the Sindh government dropped all charges against him.
3) He remained in exile in Dubai for almost four years.
4) He is fond of hunting and a really good shooter.
Political Career:
Akhtar Mengal contested his first election in 1988 and won from PB-31 on BNA ticket. He won again in 1993 from PB-31 Khuzdar on BNM-N ticket.
1997 was the peak of his political career when he became CM of Balochistan. His stint in the office was brief i.e from Feb 22, 1997 to Aug 13, 1998. He was elected from PB-31 Khuzdar.
He remained away from public eye during Musharraf era as he was incarcerated from 2006 to 2008. Then he went into exile for four years.
He came back to Pakistan in 2013 and was elected an MPA from PB-35.
He contested the 2018 elections from NA-269 Khuzdar and remained successful. His party went into an alliance with the PTI government but joined the PDM when a no-confidence motion was tabled against the prime minister.
Election 2024
Sardar Akhtar Mengal, chief of BNP-M, is running for NA-256, Khuzdar.
He is also vying for the lower house seat from NA-264, Quetta against the PPP newbie Jamal Raisani.
