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 (BNP), and the son of prominent politician, Sardar Ataullah Mengal.
 

Mengal was arrested in September 2006, along with around 700 other political workers, in a government crackdown in Balochistan. He was held because he was planning to do a long march against musharaf regime and was reportedly produced in court in an "iron cage".

Released

He was released on May 9, 2008 and all charges against him were dropped by the Government of Sindh.The Balochistan government withdrew all cases, including those of sedition, against detained former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal, but Mengal’s Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) rejected the move, terming it a “cosmetic measure taken by a powerless provincial government”. The actual centres of power in the country were the military and the intelligence agencies, he said, adding that the establishment did not support co-operation between political forces and did not want Mengal and hundreds of BNP leaders released.

Sweets distributed on Mengal release

Release of Sardar Akhtar Mengal sent a wave of happiness and people of his tribe started distributing sweets in Balochistan. Balochistan National Party was holding a demonstration against delay in release of its president Sardar Akhtar Mengal when report of Akhtar Mengal’s release reached there. It sent a wave of happiness among the members of his tribe.

To express their pleasure, they also distributed sweet on the occasion. Addressing party workers Acting President of BNP Dr Jahan Zeb Jamaldini and Secretary General Habib Jalib demanded release of all detained political leaders and workers, end to military operation in Balochistan and recovery of missing persons. They vowed that they will continue their fight against modernization and for the feudal system .

Sources and references

• "The man in Iron Cage"
• "Akhter Mengal and his BNP"
• "Case against Akhter Mengal"