Balochistan National Party (Awami)

Balochistan National Party (Awami) is a minor political party in Balochistan, Pakistan, with regionalist orientation.^[4][3][5]

Balochistan National Party (Awami) بلوچستان نیشنل پارٹی (عوامی)
Abbreviation	BNP(A)
President	Mir Asadullah Baloch[1]
Founder	Israr Ullah Zehri[2]
Founded	1998
Split from	BNP (M)[3]
Ideology	Regionalism Baloch nationalism
Balochistan Assembly	1 / 65
Election symbol
Camel
Party flag
Politics of Pakistan Political parties Elections

The party was founded in 1998 after a intra-party dispute within the Balochistan National Party where a group of ministers within the party, led by Israrullah Zehri, left the party after refusing to accept the results of the party's election where Ataullah Mengal had become the leader of the party. The group of ministers left the party and hence the BNP split into the Balochistan National Party (Awami), led by Zehri, and the Balochistan National Party (Mengal).^[3]

The party's president, Mir Asadullah Baloch, served as the provincial minister for agriculture of Balochistan in the coalition government headed by former chief minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo from 2018 to 2023.

Electoral history

The party did not register for the 2002 general elections despite having eligibility for contestment.

In the 2008 general elections, the party managed to secure one seat in the National Assembly, winning the NA-272 seat of Kech-Turbat. In the provincial elections, it managed to secure five seats in the Balochistan Assembly.^[6][7]

However, in the 2013 elections, it lost its only seat and failed to secure any seats in the National Assembly, and also failed to secure any seats in the Balochistan Assembly.

In the 2018 general elections, the party failed to secure any seats in the National Assembly. In the Balochistan Assembly, the party secured three seats.

In the 2024 general elections, the party once again failed to secure any seats in the National Assembly and only managed to secure one seat in the Balochistan Assembly.

National Assembly

Election	Results	Note
2008	1 / 272	0.21% of countrywide votes

Balochistan Provincial Assembly

Election	Results	Note
2008	5 / 50	6.0% of provincial votes
2018	3 / 65	3.79% of provincial votes
2024	1 / 65

References

1. "Ex-minister's home comes under attack in Quetta". Dawn (newspaper). 27 August 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
2. {{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/803000/balochistan-national-party%7Cdate=16 April 2013|access-date=16 March 2024|work=dawn (newspaper)}}
3. Ali Shah, Syed (16 April 2013). "Balochistan National Party". Dawn.
4. Ghauri, Irfan (24 September 2016). "After deadline: Defiant parties risk by-poll race ouster". The Express Tribune.
5. "List of Enlisted Political Parties" (PDF). www.ecp.gov.pk. Election Commission of Pakistan. 17 August 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
6. "General Election 2008 Balochistan Assembly Results".
7. "Gilani Index, Volume 8, Pakistani National Elections Electoral Record, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2024-03-16.