Opportunistic sub-nationalist politicians have made a habit of hiding their own unlawful activities behind a facade of accusations at state institutions.

Let me tell you what happened in 2006 & you decide if “the unknown” violated law or if Sardar Akhtar Jan did.

Thread:

/1

After this 2nd April06 speech at Manan Chowk Quetta where Sardar Akhtar Mengal openly called on his tribesmen & followers to join Indian sponsored BLA terrorists operating in the hills, he came under 24/7 state surveillance for instigating militancy.

/2

Surveillance was made necessary because his brother Javed & nephew Bhawal Mengal actively began reorganizing Mengal tribal commanders as Abdul Qadir Kalmati aka Rocket formerly associated w BLA in 1970s sponsored by KGB/KHAD/RAW, into a new militant org Lashkare Balochistan.

/3

More so because Javed Mengal was also son-in law of marxist Nawab Khair Buksh Marri patron of BLA who’d moved into Javed’s Karachi house to help reorganize BLA under his son Balach Marri, because eldest son Changez Marri had refused to support anti state activities of BLA.

/4

At the time Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s family were mostly based at his posh Khayabane Shamsheer house in DHA Karachi.

The surveillance monitored his movements & communications with Javed Mengal, Bhawal Mengal, Nawab Marri, Balach Marri, BLA & Lashkare Balochistan operatives.

/5

If you don’t believe his brother javed Mengal was involved in terrorism, here’s Javed’s other son Nooruddin Mengal openly acting as an Indian agent appearing on Indian channels openly doing propaganda against Pakistan & asking India to attack Pakistan:

/6

Military intelligence was assigned duty to conduct this surveillance, since MI is tasked with gathering offensive counter-insurgency intel, identifying & eliminating sleeper cells, foreign agents & anti-state elements within Pakistan, besides investigating military espionage.

/7

This lawful surveillance was old school low tech & non-invasive
surveillance, with discreet telephone taps of landline numbers, & low key distant tailing by plain clothes intel operatives in order to map any movements that may provide leads on potential terror activities.

/8

If you think this was some how undemocratic then please read this Guardian report on how UK government kept a surveillance tap on leftist British activist Tariq Ali over a period of 50 years for leads on his links to communist operatives in Britain.

/9 https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/nov/11/tariq-ali-spied-on-14-undercover-officers-spy-cops-inquiry-hears?CMP=share_btn_tw

Similarly, as part of this surveillance all vehicles under the use of Sardar Akhtar Khan Mengal & his household were discreetly followed to establish & register contacts with other BLA & Lashkare Balochistan operatives & their patrons belonging to his wider family.

/10

Typical surveillance of his vehicles consisted of a team of two civil motorcycles, with two plainclothes men each, following all of the subject’s vehicles at a respectable distance.

The second bike was the backup just in case of the first one breaks down.

/11

Since Sardar AKM’s house was located on one of Clifton’s main thoroughfares Khayabane Shamsheer, that then served as only way from DHA to SeaView with restaurants & foreign embassies, it made the job easier.

The routine was followed by MI surveillance teams on a 24/7 basis.

/12

Movements of all vehicles going in & out of Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal’s houses, his brother Javed Mengal’s DHA house, & their father Sardar Attaullah Mengal’s DHA house were kept under watch.

As expected all three households soon became aware of their vehicles being tailed.

/13

Vehicles carrying armed Mengal guards routinely left their houses, to run errands, transport family members & even take Mengal children to school.

All vehicles were tailed & their stops catalogued to establish any communications between tribal leaders & suspected militants.

/14

Nawab Khair Buksh Marri based at Javed Mengal’s house & Sardar Ataullah Mengal were old timers, who had spent their lives under surveillance.

Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal though wasn’t used to this reality & was not happy about it.

He decided to do something about it.

/15

This brings us to Tuesday the 4th of April 2006, when a strange call was placed to the DHA school attended by Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s children.

The anonymous caller warned the school administration that Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s children are targets of a kidnapping plan.

/16

This call was mostly likely placed by Sardar AKM’s own men, because it was designed to place the surveillance under suspicion & provide a justification for what Sardar sahib’s next step.

This phone call was later used by Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal to justify his actions.

/17

If you think that it’s MI that placed this call to harass the Sardar’s children, as he later alleged.

Then ask urself, why harass & make your surveillance job difficult by involving a 3rd party (school admin) & invite unnecessary attention to a job that requires discretion.

/18

Early Wednesday morning on 5 April 2006 a vehicle left Sardar Akhtar Jan’s house to take his children to school carrying armed guards & Sardar himself, as per routine it’s tailed by 2 civil motorcycles at a respectable distance.

A short while later the vehicle returns home.

/19

Later in the afternoon, the vehicle carrying the Sardar, the heavily armed Mengal guards Ghulam Hyder Lango aka Chappar & Mehboob Ali Satti & chauffeured by Nasrullah Mengal again left for the school to pickup the kids, but this time Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal had other ideas.

/20

Again the vehicle was being discreetly tailed by 2 motorcycles from a distance.

The front one carrying 2 plainsclothes Military Intelligence men, followed by another civil motorcycle carrying the two plainclothed MI NCOs Havaldar Qurban Hussain & Lance Naik Fayaz Ahmed.

/21

Turn of events remained mundane until, Sardar Akthar Jan made a dramatic move on the way back home

It could possibly be an impulse move by the hot blooded Mengal Sardar but in hindsight it seems to have been a well thought out, deliberate plan to show muscle to authorities.

/22

As soon as the vehicle carrying the children, the armed guards & Sardar AKM approached their house at Khayabane Shamsheer, it didn’t enter the house immediately, instead it waited a while.

The lead MI motorcycle passed them by, considering their job done for the time being.

/23

Following the lead bike, back up MI motorcycle carrying Havaldar Qurban Hussain & Lance Naik Fayaz Ahmed was also about to ride past Sardar’s vehicle.

When suddenly his 2 gun toting armed guards, aided by 2 more men & driver leapt at the MI motorbike forcing them to stop.

/24

Being unarmed they stopped right away, Sardar Akhtar Jan joined them & began shouting at them for harassing his children & accused them of attempted kidnapping.

The unarmed MI men expressed the inability of 2unarmed motorcyclists to kidnap such heavily guarded individuals.

/25

On Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s orders his men forced the 2 unarmed MI men inside Sardar Sahib’s house.

For the children it must’ve been a traumatic experience, but responsibility for this dramatic turn of event, solely rests with the Sardar himself & his own armed guards.

/26

Once inside the boundary walls of Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s twin house compound children entered home, meanwhile both MI men were thrashed at gun point & locked up in a room.

This now had become a clear case of assault & armed abduction of personnel in service of the state.

/27

In presence of Sardar Akhtar Mengal his guards assaulted the MI men & began questioning them on their service details.

When they refuse to divulge any info, Sardar curtly told his men, “No need for more Qs, they look like faujis. Just kill them & send their bodies to fauj.”

/28

Shortly thereafter, Sardar Akhtar Jan & his men locked the door & left, as if to make preparations for the execution.

Considering it to be an opportunity for escape, both MI men broke the room door & made a run for it.

Hearing the commotion Mengal guards chased after them.

/29

Havaldar Qurban Hussain helped Lance Naik Fayaz Ahmed jump over the boundary wall & escape, but he got caught himself by the Mengal guards.

They now assaulted him further for attempting to escape & tied him up before locking him back again.

/30

MI offices in Karachi were well aware by now that of 2 of their men had gone missing.

As soon as Lance Naik Fayaz met up with other MI motorbike stationed nearby, they called their superiors with details of the situation, emphasizing Havaldar Qurban’s life to be in danger.

/31

Sardar Akhtar Mengal was also furious at the escape of one of his captives, realizing that if infact he’d actually meant to execute the 2 MI men it was now out of the question.

Within a few minutes, Sardar Akhtar Jan received a call from the Karachi HQs of Sindh Rangers.

/32

Sardar Akhtar Jan was plainly told that personnel in service of state was in his captivity & authorities expected him to be released immediately

Sardar Sahib began complaining about surveillance & demanded an explanation for placing members of his family under surveillance.

/33

He was politely informed that officials would be happy to discuss his complaints if he were to pay a visit to Rangers HQs, where officials would await his arrival.

Sardar Akhtar Jan considered it below his dignity to be summoned for questioning & refused the invitation.

/34

He curtly told the officials that if they wished to discuss the release of their man then they had to pay him a visit, provide an explanation for placing him under surveillance & commit to discontinue surveillance he deemed invasive.

He was told to expect a visitor shortly.

/35

MI & Rangers officials showed up at Sardar AKM’s house within minutes & he sought an end to surveillance before the MI man is released.

Officials informed him they couldn’t discuss details, but that surveillance is typically conducted to trace links to criminal suspects.

/36

When Sardar Akhtar Mengal insisted on a commitment to discontinue surveillance he was informed that such a decision was above their pay grade but the officials assured him that his concerns would passed on to higher authorities.

/37

At the same time he was also told that unlawful confinement of state personnel was a serious crime & those responsible should expect to be prosecuted.

Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal refused to release the MI man unless he received a commitment of an end to the surveillance.

/38

The meeting ended on this note & the officials respectfully warned of LEA action if their man wasn’t released soon.

A short while later, Sindh Police & Rangers personnel surrounded the Mengal House & Sindh Police officers began hostage negotiations with the Mengal Sardar.

/39

By this time it’d been a little over 2 hours with Havaldar Qurban under illegally captivity at the Mengal Kayabane Shamsheer house compound in DHA Karachi.

When finally Sardar Akhtar Jan had a change of heart & decided to let go of the MI man from his illegal confinement.

/40

Straight away Havaldar Qurban Hussain & Lance Naik Fayaz Ahmed approached Darakhsan Police Station at Clifton & lodged an FIR for assault, torture & armed abduction under section 364, 353, 342, 186, 395, 397, 337 of PPC against Sardar Akhtar Mengal & his armed men.

/41

The MI men named named Sardar Akhtar Mengal himself, his driver Nasrullah Mengal, his 2 guards Ghulam Hyder Lango aka Chappar & Mehboob Ali Satti & 2 other unidentified armed men as the accused.

LEA Officials on the scenes now sought the surrender of these Mengal men.

/42

By then Sardar Akhtar Mengal had begun contacting his friends in the media, claiming victimhood for having his children undergo ordeal of “attempted kidnapping.”

It’s here he used the kidnapping threat phone call that was received by the school a day before the incident.

/43

Sardar Akhtar Jan refused to surrender his men for 2 more days & a full blown standoff existed b/w LEAs who’d cordoned off his house & his armed guards positioned atop his house.

Protests were also instigated in Khuzdar by BNP workers who blocked Karachi to Quetta road.

/44

Below is an actual image of Sardar Akhtar Jan at his balcony during stand off.

Finally, on 7April06 Sardar AKM’s driver Nasrullah Mengal, his 2 guards Ghulam Hyder Lango aka Chappar & Mehboob Ali Satti were surrendered & later produced before a judge on Saturday 8April2006.

/45

A few days later Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal was also taken into custody by law enforcement.

He was respectfully placed under house arrest at the Lasi Farm in Sakran near Hub, by having the premises of the farm house declared as a sub-jail.

/46

Sardar AKM remained in detention & his party BNP boycotted 2008 elections.

The legal proceedings continued in the case until PPP govt came to power & withdrew the case against him on 9May2008.

He was subsequently released (below) & he left for UAE on a self imposed exile.

/47

Now, I’ve provided details of the entire incident, it’s upto you to decide whether it was a case of his children’s “attempted kidnapping” or a case of him considering himself above the law & hiding his own unlawful conduct behind trumped up accusations of “state brutality.”

/48

For those of you who are too skeptical to believe that such an incident may infact have taken place, here’s a news story published at the time due to Sardar Akhtar Jan’s extensive contacts in the media.

https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/police-arrest-baloch-leaders-private-guards-1.231979

/49

Here’s a another case when Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal tried to hide his unlawful conduct of kidnapping, jailing & torturing of supporters of his political opponents in Wadh Khuzdar, by blaming them for attempting to “lob grenades” at his home during election campaign of 2018:

/50 https://twitter.com/khurramdehwar/status/1318611563968925699