Mengal History

The Mengal (Persian مینگل) is a tribe with about 250,000 people in Balochistan. Mengal tribe speak Brahui; a Dravidian language that has been heavily influenced by other Iranian languages spoken in the area, especially Balochi.^[1][2]. The Mengal are now closely linked to the Baloch people, with whom they have substantially intermingled and whose cultural traits they have absorbed.The tribe can be divided in two major branches: Zagar Mengal and Shahizai Mengal.

Tribal Area

The Mengal tribal area is around 70,000 square miles, stretching from the Helmand River in the North to Saruna and Shah Noorani in the South near Lasbela district, and bordering on the province of Sindh to the east^[3].

Politics

For many years the Mengal tribe has been seeking greater autonomy from the Pakistan government^[4][5][6]. The Pakistani government and the Mengals have been clashing for the past four decades, for various reasons^[7][8]. Large-scale military operations were carried out in the area of Khuzdar in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, the Pakistani government headed by the former Prime Minister Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, with support of the Shah of Iran when Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was governor carried out one of the bloodiest military operations in the history of Balochistan against the Mengal and Marri tribes which lasted for 5 years, during which around 35000 Baloch fighters and 6000 army soldiers were killed.

Prominent People

• Ataullah Mengal has been Chief Minister of Balochistan.

• Akhtar Mengal has been Chief Minister of Balochistan

• Mir Gul Khan Naseer was a renowned poet, historian and politician.

• Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal has been Governor and Chief Justice of Balochistan.

• Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal served as acting chief minister of Balochistan.

• Prof Dr Asif Mengal , Neurosurgery Department of Ayub Medical College, Hazara.