Shafiq Mengal

Mir Shafiq-ur-Rahman Mengal , more commonly known as Shafiq Mengal or Shafique Mengal , is a Pakistani Baloch tribal leader, politician, and prominent pro-state figure from the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, Pakistan. He is known for his pro-Pakistan and anti-separatist views. He is also the son of former federal minister and former caretaker Chief Minister of Balochistan, Naseer Mengal. He entered mainstream politics in March 2026 by joining the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Shafiq Mengal also heads the Jhalawan Awami Panel organization.

Early life Shafiq Mengal belongs to the Mohamadzai clan of the Mengal tribe, which belongs to the town Wadh in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan, Pakistan. and later as the Pakistani ambassador to Qatar, before becoming the head of the federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources of Pakistan.

Education After dropping out of Aitchison College, Shafiq enrolled in a high-level boarding school in Lahore and later also joined a Deobandi madrasa (a type of religious Islamic seminary), commonly associated with Jamia Binoria, in the Binoria town of Karachi. While in the seminary in Karachi, Shafiq met senior members of Islamist political groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba. These contacts had reportedly inspired him to take part in the "Islamic Holy War" (jihad) in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Leadership of armed groups Baloch Musallah Difaee Tanzeem In around 2008, Mengal founded the Baloch Musalla Difa Tanzeem (translated as the Armed Baloch Defence Organization and acronymed as BMDT or ABDO), an armed pro-Pakistan and anti-separatist vigilante group and tribal militia based primarily in the Khuzdar district of Pakistani province of Balochistan, which was formed in order to counter the increasing attacks from armed Baloch separatists. Founded at the height of the Baloch insurgency, the main stated purpose of the group was to defend and protect pro-Pakistani locals and communities in the Mengal-dominated areas of central Balochistan (such as Khuzdar, Wadh, and Awaran) from militant attacks and counter Baloch separatist groups, such as the Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front. In 2008–2009, while majority of anti-insurgent armed groups were being disarmed by the authorities in order for security responsibilities to be taken over by police and paramilitary forces, an exception had been made for Shafique Mengal and his Baloch Musallah Difa Tanzeem in Khuzdar. The BMDT/ABDO was officially banned by Pakistani authorities on 8 September 2010. Despite the official government ban, the militia's networks and fighters had remained relatively active under various local tribal alignments and fronts, including the political umbrella of Shafiq Mengal's Jhalawan Awami Panel.

Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Aman Balochistan Shafiq later founded another armed group in 2012 known as Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Aman Balochistan (translated as the Movement for the Restoration of Peace in Balochistan and acronymed as TNAB or MRPB), an armed pro-government militia which operated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, particularly centered around the Khuzdar region. The group positioned itself as a peace restoration and pro-Pakistan organization opposing local separatist movements and sentiments. It was later also banned on 4 August 2012 as well. stating that the purpose of his armed groups was to protect pro-Pakistani Baloch communities, Mengal has consistently denied any involvement in the incident, Mengal strongly and consistently denied any close involvement or affiliation with such groups. Mengal denied any involvement in the attack and was never apprehended for it. He said Shafiq Mengal had been launched "to create terror in Balochistan". The clashes, as well as protests by BNP-Mengal supporters and party workers, brought all traffic between Quetta and Karachi to a halt. The protests by BNP-Mengal members had also resulted in roadblocks in Quetta, Kalat, Mastung, Khuzdar, Bela, Hub, and other towns throughout Balochistan.

Mengal first properly ran for election in 2018. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) found him fit to stand for election for the Khuzdar district seat of the National Assembly of Pakistan, which he was ultimately unable to take from the previous holder, Sardar Akhtar Mengal.

Criticism against involvement Mengal'sentry into the PPP drew criticism from commentators, media reports, journalists, and nationalist politicians who viewed it as a counterproductive move which tried to polish up the image of a controversial figure who has been linked to regional violence. on 23 June 2025, where he died of wounds along with 5 of his bodyguards while Shafiq's nephew Atta's son, Muti-ur-Rehman Mengal, was left seriously injured when gunmen attacked his guesthouse in Khuzdar’s Aranji area late at night.

July 2026 Attack

On 8 July 2026, in a major coordinated assault (as part of a larger series of coordinated attacks across Balochistan), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) targeted Mengal's residence in Khuzdar using kamikaze car bombs and storming tactics. According to local sources, a suicide bomber rammed into the main gate of his residence near Shahzad Town in Khuzdar city using an explosive-laden vehicle in order to breach the compound's perimeter, which had destroyed the gate, along with the nearby boundary wall, as well as a large portion of the overall building which Mengal was in. After the explosion, a large shootout between the attackers and security personnel erupted and had continued for more 3 hours.

Aftermath of the attack Nadeem-ur-Rehman, the spokesperson and general secretary of Shafiq Mengal's Jhalawan Awami Panel, confirmed the that an attack had occurred on Mengal’s residence, adding that Mengal remained unharmed during the attack and is now currently safe. According to an unnamed official, 17 people were killed and 30 were injured during the attack, including Mengal's own bodyguards and members of local law enforcement. He also said that 5 of the attackers along with 2 suicide bombers, were additionally killed during the shootout.

Nearly a month after the attack on 16 August, security forces stated to have killed 10 BLA militants in the Shor Parod area of Khuzdar district.