Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal
Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 1918 |
| Died | 26 September 2021 (aged 102) Quetta, Balochistan province, Pakistan |
| Allegiance |  British India Pakistan |
| Service/ |  British Indian Army (1941–1947) Pakistan Army (1947–1967) |
| Years of service | 1941–1967[1] |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal (November 1918 – 26 September 2021) was the oldest Pakistan Army veteran. He joined the British Indian Army in 1941 and was commissioned in the 5th Baluch (Jacob Regiment) in 1942.[2] Following the independence of Pakistan, he joined Pakistan Army and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1967. He died on 26 September 2021 in Quetta and was 103 years old at the time of his death.[1][3]
Personal life
[edit]Sultan Mengal was born in November 1918.[4] His father's name was Mir Habib Khan. Habib Khan belonged to the celebrated Paindzai subclan of the Zagr Mengal branch of the Mengal Tribe. Sultan Khan's mother was Bibi Hooran. She was the sister of Mir Raheem Khan, the head of the Rakhshani Badini Tribe. She was a learned woman who knew how to read Persian and also the Quran (which is in Arabic) which, at that time, was considered quite an achievement for a man, let alone a woman. She played a most pivotal role in moulding her sons. Sultan Muhammad was the Youngest among five brothers. He also had three sisters.[5]
His eldest brother Mir Samand Khan (born c.1889) had served in the British Army and also as a commander in Khan of Kalat's army. His second brother Mir Lawang Khan (born c.1901) was a well known tribal politician and also had the reputation of being an excellent self-taught local doctor. He died on 7 August 1973 while fighting with the Pakistan Army during the 1973 Military Operation carried out in Balochistan by the Federal Government of Pakistan. Mir Lawang Khan holds an important place in the hearts and souls of the Baloch people as one of the many martyrs of the Balochistan. Sultan Khan's third brother Mir Lal Bux Mengal (born c.1906) also served for a while in Khan of Kalat's army during which time he held a commanding position in Makran. Sultan Mohammad's Fourth Brother Mir Gul Khan Nasir was a Baloch politician, poet, historian, and journalist from Balochistan. Most of his work is in Balochi language, but he also wrote in English, Urdu, Brahui and Persian.[5]
Sultan Mohammad Khan (born c.1918) served in the British Army before the Partition of India and in the Pakistan Army after the Partition. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Pakistan Army and retired in 1966. Sultan Mohammad also held pivotal positions in Balochistan after his retirement, such as the Vice Chancellor of The Balochistan University, The Commander of Dehi Muhaafiz (now known as Balochistan Reserve Police) and as the Project Director Kohlu, Sultan Mohammad was arrested the day he returned to Quetta after burying Mir Lawang Khan.[5]
(Dehi Muhafiz (rural police)
[edit]The first attempts by the provincial government to "Balochistanise" regional administration, as well as the pressures exerted by tribal people on Punjabi landowners, antagonised the Punjabis. The provincial government began to set up a regional guard known as Dehi Muhafiz (rural police) and to establish its own Press. Dehi Muhafiz was led by Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal as Chief of the Force.[6]
According to Ataullah Mengal, "Bhutto and his Punjabi aide Khar organized a police strike against our government".[7][6]
The federal government looked at it with considerable suspicion and planned to defeat the move by any means. According to Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, the Dehi Muhafiz force in Balochistan was organised with the full knowledge and approval of the Governors’ Conference. Yet the Centre launched a campaign alleging that this was a private “army” of the NAP. PPP ministry later maintained this force, with only its name changed into “Balochistan Police Reserve” and its chief Col. Sultan Mohammad Mengal removed.[8]
Military career
[edit]Sultan Mengal started his military career by joining the British Indian Army in 1941 and got a commission in the 5th Baluch (Jacob Regiment) in 1942.[2][1] After the independence of Pakistan, he joined Pakistan Army's Frontier Force Regiment and also served as the instructor at Infantry School Quetta. He also served as the commandant of the Khyber Rifles, 2FF Guides, Sutlej Rangers, Northern Scouts Gilgit.[2] He retired in 1967 from Pakistan Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.[1][9]
Death
[edit]Sultan Mengal died at the age of 103 in Combined Military Hospital in the city of Quetta on 26 September 2021.[2] Pakistan military spokesman, Major General Babar Iftikhar, expressed his condolences on the demise of Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal and described him as "a keen soldier and adventurist who had climbed, walked, skied, sailed and rowed through all of the country’s natural terrain on many expeditions".[10][11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Pakistan Army's oldest veteran dies at 103: ISPR". ARY NEWS. 26 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d "پاک فوج کے معمر ترین افسر انتقال کرگئے پاک فوج کے لیفٹیننٹ کرنل سلطان محمد خان مینگل کی عمر 103 سال تھی". UrduPoint (in Urdu). 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Oldest Pakistan Army veteran Lt-Col (r) Sultan Mengal breathes his last at 103". Daily Pakistan Global. 27 September 2021.
- ^ "اولڈ وار ویٹرن لیفٹیننٹ کرنل ریٹائرڈ سلطان محمد خان مینگل انتقال کرگئے". Roznama Dunya (in Urdu). 27 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Mir Gul Khan Naseer (Politician, Scholar, Historian, Poet) 1914-1986". baask.com. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ a b "Ironic indeed". Daily Times. 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
- ^ Tariq Ali, Can Pakistan Survive?. The Death of a State. pp. 117–118.
- ^ Breseeg, Taj Mohammad (2001). "Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development up to 1980" (PDF). School of Oriental & African Studies. Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development up to 1980. University of London: 267.
- ^ Zehra, Mehak (27 September 2021). "Lt Col. Sultan Mengal, Oldest Army Veteran Passes Away At 103". Brandsynario.
- ^ "ISPR DG condoles demise of oldest veteran soldier of Pakistan Army". Daily Times. 27 September 2021.
- ^ "Army veteran Sultan Mengal passes away". DAWN.COM. 27 September 2021.
- ^ "ISPR DG condoles demise of Lieutenant Colonel (R) Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal". www.radio.gov.pk. 27 September 2021.