The NA 260 by elections had proved beyond doubt that the Balochistan National Party is the only popular political party in Balochistan. It has no match and no parallel on the political scene. It proved to be a more vibrant party in this part of Pakistan. It was confirmed when the BNP announced to place its nominee for the NA seat, known for the strong hold of the Baloch national movement since the days of One Unit.

There was a visible panic in the rank and file of its opponents, all Government allies and coalition partners, excluding the PMAP playing its own politics for obvious reasons keeping a distance from other partners. The shocks were felt with the behaviour of the National Party and its leaders desperately trying to find a suitable candidate when the poll plan was announced.

In a way, the BNP faced the formidable alliance of the coalition partners of the Central and Provincial Government to use the JUI against the BNP nominee with a very strong position. It is a very big honour for the BNP that it was confronted by the three coalition partners while the BNP enjoyed the support of like-minded parties at the local level.

It was an embarrassment for the PMAP as it failed to establish a co-relation of its popularity in 2013 general elections and the by-elections. Its popularity dashed down when the results were announced. PMAP failed to defend its seat. PMAP received one NA and three Provincial Assembly seats in the Provincial Capital as a precious gift for political reasons. Otherwise, it lacks the popularity to that extent even in 2013 or in any phase of the history of political development in Balochistan. Political analysts agreed that its popularity was unfairly inflated to such an extent that the Chagai NA constituency was gifted to the PMAP for once only. That is why the MNA elected from this constituency never visited his constituents for years.

From day-one, the most disturbed element on the political front was the leadership of National Party and it desperately tried to form any gang up to face its arch rival BNP. The National Party was not capable to face the power and influence of the BNP in all parts of historic Chagai region as its influence was confined to merely to some students and government employees, mostly school teachers. That is why it evaded to confront the BNP directly and preferred to use JUI-F as a political cover to confront the BNP in the electoral battle.

Most of the time, the NP leaders were found preaching Communism and Socialism in their entire political life and all of a sudden they found a reactionary ally JUI to confront the BNP. JUI is a conservative and religious party operating thousands of seminaries in Balochistan and elsewhere in Pakistan.

On the part of the BNP, it is a simple Baloch nationalist and secular party or a non-religious and non sectarian party. It is a simple liberal and a democratic party defending the legitimate rights of the Baloch people or the entire people of Balochistan in general without any discrimination. Sardar Akhtar is no communist or socialist. Even he kept distance from the sectarian fanatics in politics.

The BNP had secured bulk of the votes from the remotest corners of the Chagai Constituency single handedly and it enjoyed support of the like-minded party in sub-urban Quetta. In case of support from the like-minded parties, it was symbolic and just to oppose the ruling coalition and its reactionary and sectarian policies.

There are no two opinions that the BNP had confronted the coalition ruling the entire country. Muslim League, National Party and the JUI are coalition partners in the Central Government. National Party and Muslim League-N are also coalition partners in the Provincial Government. Thus such a formidable alliance had confronted the BNP in Chagai, the political constituency of Great revolutionary poet Mir Gul Khan Naseer who defeat the Marble King, the only billionaire from Balochistan. They had unlimited resources and means to mobilize the state machinery against the populist BNP.

Both the People’s Party and the PMAP proved to be political non-entities in the by elections. They got votes of their pockets only which had no match to the wider strength of the huge political constituency. It is difficult that they will nominate candidates in the next general elections and conception where they had any scope to win a seat.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the BNP chief, addressed a series of huge public meetings in Naushki, Kharan, Quetta and other parts of Balochistan and displayed his power and influence by attracting tens of thousands of people in each public meeting in all the regions barring the annexed territories from Afghanistan. The JUI and NP parties are no match to the BNP influence in any part of Balochistan. Knowing this ground reality clearly, they were forced to form an alliance against their “Common enemy” or real potential rivals. They were found in negative politics forming alliance against the most popular party keeping their ideas and belief aside.

Since the election results were announced, embarrassed NP leaders are quiet and offer no comment or justifying their election alliance. They felt the political defeat and JUI had no chance to make a big show in the next general election as its local leader eye on the coveted post of the Chief Minister of Balochistan. The present political turmoil in Pakistan may seriously affect the popularity of JUI in near future pushing the party to complete sidelines.

The writer is a member of the BNP Central Committee.