Written by: Mir Nadeem ur Rahman Muhammad Shahi
If Balochistan’s politics is viewed through the lens of ideologies rather than mere events, a clear divide emerges: one side relies on guns, fear, and ambiguity to assert dominance, while the other prioritizes the state, national unity, and collective survival.
Mir Shafiq Mengal stands firmly on the latter side, where dissent is not equated with treason, but spreading chaos is.
His narrative is not reactionary but rooted in a principled stance.
He does not confine Balochistan’s issues to mere political deprivation; instead, he sees them as part of a larger picture involving foreign interference, support for armed groups, and internal weaknesses that create a complex crisis.
In his view, the real threat is not differing opinions but the armed mindset that imposes its interpretation through force and then labels that violence as “nationalism.”
Mir Shafiq challenges this narrative, asserting that Baloch traditions uphold the protection of guests, support for the weak, and preservation of dignity.
Therefore, becoming hired killers under foreign influence to murder laborers, travelers, and innocents is not resistance but outright terrorism.
He highlights the hypocrisy where some political forces condemn extremism in power but soften their language toward the same elements when out of power—this ambiguity, he argues, has prolonged Balochistan’s problems.
This is where Mir Shafiq ur Rahman Mengal’s narrative transforms from defense into intellectual resistance.
He questions: If brute force becomes the measure of truth, what remains of reason, tradition, and ethics? For him, the real battle is not over land or resources but over minds.
Thus, he counters hatred, tribalism, and distorted nationalism with thought, ideology, and national unity.
In his worldview, Pakistan is not just a geography but an idea, and loyalty to it must stem from conviction, not expediency.
Yet this is more than words—it is the essence of a struggle built on sacrifices.
The 2011 tragedy, when his home was targeted in a suicide attack killing 16 companions, proves that standing by one’s ideology is not easy.
The chain of sacrifices continued afterward, with targeted killings claiming nearly 300 brave comrades over time, along with countless unnamed heroes whose contributions endure in the soil of this land.
In 2023, when his opponents held the heights of power, state machinery was allegedly used to bombard his village and area for four continuous months with shells and explosives.
Three frontline warriors embraced martyrdom, but Mir Shafiq stood like an iron wall alongside his party and people, neither retreating nor bending.
Ultimately, four months of resistance forced the adversaries to abandon their positions and flee.
Then came 2025, a year that added new meaning and dignity to this struggle.
His elder brother, the soul of this movement, a leader of general-like resolve and the symbol of Pakistani identity in Balochistan—Mir Atta ur Rahman Mengal, also became a traveler on this path. Surrounded by over 40 armed terrorists, it was not an ordinary scene but a test of determination, honor, and loyalty.
Amid enemy threats and demands to surrender, he stood firm with unyielding resolve, fighting to his last drop of blood to affirm his bond with this land.
He turned “No Surrender” into a living tradition, not just a slogan, one written not on history’s pages but in the heights of character.
He fell not in defeat but after completing a saga, reviving the legacy of his ancestors and leaving a message for future generations: When loyalty becomes faith, even death cannot defeat it.
From 2009 to 2012, Mir Shafiq played a key role in pushing back banned organizations and restoring peace in several areas.
For the first time, it became evident that stability in Balochistan was possible with the right intent and direction, even when raising Pakistan’s flag required immense courage. As the ideological slogan “Haq e Na Tawar” and countless martyrdoms improved conditions, vested interests shifted tactics and targeted him systematically.
In 2013, during Mian Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, opponents allegedly used state structures to create difficulties through pressure, cases, and character assassination.
He remained steadfast. During this period, a narrative of mass graves in Tootak, a stronghold of the banned BLA was fabricated and used as propaganda against him.
However, a Balochistan High Court tribunal clearly stated there was no credible evidence against Mir Shafiq or his associates.
Despite all accusations, pressures, and injustices, he never complained against the state, never grumbled, and never used these wrongs as grounds to speak against the country.
Instead, he spoke even more firmly about Pakistan’s integrity and the ideology of Pakistan, standing resolute on his position: Pakistan’s sovereignty supersedes every identity.
In the 2018 and 2024 elections, elements were allegedly promoted via Form 47 through double standards, blackmail, and vested politics, channeling state resources to specific groups rather than the public.
Balochistan was once again pushed into instability rather than development. Over time, these contradictions became evident.
Throughout this journey, Mir Shafiq ur Rahman Mengal’s ideological perspective grew clearer, he emerged as an advocate of a narrative where faith, state, and local identity are linked in order: faith first, then Pakistan, and then all other identities.
This spirit is captured in the poet’s words:
“In the world, people of faith live like the sun, Setting here, rising there; setting here, rising there.”
These verses apply to Mir Shafiq’s struggle, emerging stronger after every pressure, renewed in resolve after every trial.
In recent developments, on the invitation of President Asif Ali Zardari and in the presence of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, he joined the Pakistan Peoples Party at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
This was not merely a political step but the beginning of a new phase, where his narrative is taking organized shape at the national level.
Notably, since 2018, the “Jhalawan Awami Panel” has emerged as a strong political platform, keeping Pakistan’s flag high even in the harshest conditions.
Under it, large public gatherings, rallies, and continuous political activities not only persisted but fostered collective mindset-building and ideological training.
This was not just politics but the nurturing of an ideology, rooting Mir Shafiq’s narrative among the people and turning it into an organized force.
In the same vein of intellectual and social struggle, the “Haji Mir Nek Muhammad Residential Public School” was established in Wadh through Mir Shafiq’s personal efforts.
Today, it stands as a model educational institution for hundreds of students across the region, emphasizing not just education but character-building, with the slogan “Education and Training, Building through Education.”
The by-election on April 5, 2026, for the national seat NA-256 Khuzdar is not just a contest for one seat, it is a defining moment for Balochistan’s future, its ideological direction, and political course.
In this arena, Mir Shafiq ur Rahman Mengal is not merely a candidate but the embodiment of a thought, a path, and a decisive direction.
He stands today as a leader who has passed through sacrifices, been refined in trials, and sought to change history’s course rather than bow to circumstances.
If Balochistan seeks its true identity, stability, and ideological path, Mir Shafiq ur Rahman Mengal presents a clear answer to that quest.
