Lieutenant Colonel (retd) Sultan Mohammed Khan Mengal (1918 – 2021) was the oldest Pakistan Army veteran. He joined the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

in 1941 and was commissioned in the 5th Baluch (Jacob Regiment) in 1942. Following the independence of Pakistan, he joined

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1967. He died on 26 September 2021 in

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...

and was 103 years old at the time of his death.

Personal life

Sultan Mengal was born in November 1918.

Military career

Sultan Mengal started his military career by joining the

in 1941 and got a commission in the 5th Baluch (Jacob Regiment) in 1942. After the independence of Pakistan, he joined

Frontier Force Regiment The Frontier Force Regiment is one of the six infantry regiments of the Pakistan Army. They are popularly known as the ''Piffers'' in reference to their military history as the PIF ( Punjab Irregular Force) of the British Indian Army, or as th ...

and also served as the instructor at Infantry School Quetta. He also served as the commandant of the

Khyber Rifles The Khyber Rifles are a paramilitary regiment, forming part of the Pakistani Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North). The Rifles are tasked with defending the border with Afghanistan and assisting with law enforcement in the districts adjace ...

, 2FF Guides, Sutlej Rangers, Northern Scouts Gilgit. He retired in 1967 from Pakistan Army as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Death

Sultan Mengal died at the age of 103 in

Combined Military Hospital Combined Military Hospitals ( ur, , abbreviated as CMH) are Pakistan Armed Forces hospitals situated in various cantonments of Pakistan. History During the British Raj, the British Indian Army troops depended for their medical treatment enti ...

in the city of

on 26 September 2021. 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".

References

{{reflist 1918 births 2021 deaths Baloch people Indian Army personnel of World War II British Indian Army officers Pakistan Army personnel Pakistani centenarians Men centenarians People from Quetta