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Balochistan Awami Party (BAP)

Balochistan is a bit of a sideshow. Balochistan politics is highly fragmented and national parties have not had much presence. More than the party, the politics is dominated by personalities or electables, most of them tribal chiefs.

The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Urdu for the Balochistan People's Party, aims to form the provincial administration in Pakistan’s least populated but largest province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to the country’s Arabian Sea coast. BAP emerged after lawmakers from the former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) revolted and joined the opposition in moving a no-confidence vote against their coalition administration in Balochistan. After Nawab Sanaullah Zehri resigned as the chief minister or most senior elected provincial leader on 09 January 2018, his dissident colleagues formed the new administration. They also forced out the National Party (NP), a moderate Baluch ethno-nationalist group and the Pashtun nationalist Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party from the local government.

In Balochistan, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) is suspected to be the face of army political engineering. Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, the party's founder, is a diminutive man, but the 69-year-old politician from Quetta, the provincial capital, is said to have the power to bring down governments. In March 2018, Hashmi formed BAP, a collection of political leaders who two months earlier had overthrown the PML-N's government in the province through a no-confidence vote. It was the third time Hashmi had been involved in the fall of a provincial government.

BAP was formally launched in March after one of its lawmakers was elected as chairman of the Senate or upper house of the Pakistani parliament. Abdul Qaddus Bizenjo, a key leader and the former chief minister of Balochistan, claimed that "the new party will be a gift and a surprise for the people of Balochistan." In May, its president, Mir Jam Kamal, said BAP will safeguard the rights and interests of Balochistan.

BAP went from inception to fielding 58 candidates across the province within weeks. Leaders of other parties saied this is evidence the scales were tipped in its favor. "Political parties don't just come about in a day, it's a struggle, it takes a long time," says Akhtar Mengal, chief of the Balochistan National Party (BNP). "To make a political party so quickly, to distribute tickets and make office bearers - cinema tickets have not been distributed as quickly as they have done this." Mengal said that political allies were being threatened to drop the BNP and back BAP candidates, "or face the consequences".

Hashmi denies military backing and said his opponents are simply concerned by his party's popularity. "Our enemies see our strength and that's why they raise these allegations," he says, adding that he formed the party to unify politicians who reject ethnic nationalism. He says the timing of the BAP's revolt against the PML-N, as Sharif's party started openly criticising the military, was unplanned. "The timing was coincidence," he said. "We as a group had been looking for a long time to launch a new party." The allegations, however, were persistent.

In Mastung, the BAP had taken over a government hospital as a campaign office, in contravention of Pakistan's electoral code. Political leaders across the province say it is not the first time BAP candidates have used government resources. "Right now, if you go into the bazaar, you will see a few Balochistan Awami Party banners - other than that, these people don't need to do any real work," says Jehanzeb Jamaldini, a senator and BNP leader. "They are fortunate people, a party has been made for them … the money has been arranged for them … the votes have been found for them and will even be deposited in their ballot boxes for them."

On June 04, 2018 Balochistan Muttahida Mahaz (BMM) Chairman Nawabzada Siraj Raisani announced his party’s merger with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP). Mr Raisani announced the merger of his party, which had been founded by the late Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani in 1970, with the newly formed BAP at a press conference. He said the decision was made keeping in view the BAP’s mission to unite people from all tribes and ethnic backgrounds living in the province for the rights of the province.

A close relative of former chief minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Khuzdar District Council chairman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Agha Shakeel Durrani and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Noor Ahmed Bangulzai and some BMM workers also announced their decision to join the BAP while addressing a joint news conference with the BAP president and a former federal minister, Jam Kamal. BAP founder Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, general secretary Manzoor Kakar, and other leaders including Naseebullah Bazai, Mir Amanullah Notezai and Prince Ahmed welcomed them.

Saeed Sarbazi, a Karachi-based journalist, says BAP is part of the Pakistani military establishment’s plan to confront Baluch ethno-nationalist groups. He says that while anemic civilian administrations in the province have failed to stop harsh crackdowns and military operations against Baluch factions seeking autonomy or independence during the past 15 years, the major motive behind BAP’s emergence this year seems to be to end all opposition in the resource-rich but impoverished region.

“It will completely surrender [civilian authority] and remain loyal to the [military] establishment,” he said. Saeed says that the major landowners, tribal leaders, and business tycoons in BAP’s leadership are turncoats whose careers revolve around switching political parties to stay in power. “Now this group of opportunists has gathered [in a single political party] to rule the province without challenging the [military] establishment’s narrative on various issues,” he said.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal, leader of the Balochistan National Party (BNP), one of the major Baluch ethno-nationalist parties, sees BAP as a pressure group. He says the party has been imposed on Balochistan politics by some hidden forces.

Balochistan Awami Party announced an ambitious manifesto for the 2018 general elections on 17 July 2018. The manifesto was presented during a press conference where a spokesman said the party founded as a ‘wild card’ entrant but people were interested in their political and economic reforms for the next five years. He said the manifesto, despite incorporating a wide range of issues, will be an ‘ongoing document’ and the party will be open to new suggestions from various stakeholders and include them as well.

President BAP Jam Mir Kamal thanked those who helped develop the manifesto and said it includes a wide range of issues for all segments of society. He said that people of Balochistan desire a developed society, and the manifesto has been made based on the ground realities where half of the population is less than 25 years old. He said that if given the opportunity the resources of Balochistan will be fully utilised to benefit the people and increase investment in the province, giving special preference to deprived areas. “The people of Balochistan desire a prosperous society. Half of the population is under 25 years of age. The manifesto has been prepared based on ground realities. We will give special consideration to deprived districts,” he said.

The manifesto called for increasing the volume of investment in the next five years, and establish the Balochistan Bank. The party will set up industrial areas and bring budgetary and economic reforms. The party will provide ‘Awami Imtiazi’ cards to victims of disasters. It also seek full enrollment till middle school, build modern laboratories in public schools, and set up a fund for deserving and underprivileged students.

In the field of healthcare, the party will introduce low-cost and affordable health insurance card system. The party will establish Bureau of Infrastructure to improve the basic infrastructure facilities in the province. The party will also give attention to mining sector. It will also introduce an administrative reforms commission report, contribute to police reforms, and strengthen the local bodies systems.

Furthermore, the party will increase police budget, provide more equipment and implement a police training programme. The rural areas will provided all necessary facilities, and establish support complexes by local and international assistance.