Veteran politician and founder of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), Sardar Ataullah Mengal, passed away in Karachi on Thursday, party leader Sanaullah Baloch said.
He had been ill for a long time and was admitted to a private hospital in Karachi, according to the BNP. He was 92.
Born in 1929, Mengal spent his childhood in Lasbela and later moved to Karachi. He was declared the chief (sardar) of the Mengal tribe in 1954.
Mengal was introduced to politics by Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, a founding member of the National Awami Party (NAP) – who also briefly served as the governor of Balochistan in 1972-73. In 1962, Mengal was elected to the West Pakistan provincial assembly; Bezinjo ran his election campaign.