QUETTA: Balochistan National Movement (BNM) leader Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch has said they have revived the BNM to organise “oppressed nations” and downtrodden people and to join hands with democratic forces in the country.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club here on Sunday, he said originally formed in 1987, the BNM was “mother organisation” of Baloch nationalist parties because it had given birth to different factions.

Dr Baloch said since political struggle could not proceed without ideology, they had revived the BNM to lend an ideological impetus to Baloch nationalist politics.

He announced the BNM’s support for the Balochistan National Party-Mengal’s candidate in by-election in NA-260 Quetta-Chagai.

“Pakistan is a multi-national country where different nations have their homes, national identity and history,” Dr Baloch said. “Pakistan is like a beautiful bouquet of different nations but unfortunately the smaller nations, including the Baloch nation, are being overlooked in the country.”

He said during Pakistan’s 70-year history, Baloch people had been bearing brunt of Islamabad’s wrong policies though the Baloch land was vast and resource-rich and had geopolitical and strategic importance in the region.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2017