38 Years of BNM’s Unbroken Resistance
By Qazi Dad Muhammad Rehan
(A special article on the occasion of BNM’s 38th Founding Day)
24 December 1987 stands as a decisive and historic day in Baloch national history. On this day, former cadres of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO) laid the foundation of the Baloch National Movement (BNM). Thirty-eight years on, BNM is not only the true ideological heir of BSO, but also a frontline force in the Baloch nation’s struggle for freedom.
Throughout every rise and fall of the movement, BNM consistently chose the correct direction of history and kept the Baloch national struggle alive. In 2003, following the martyrdom of Shaheed Fida Ahmad Baloch, when the then leadership of BNM deviated from the movement’s core principles and attempted to bury nationalist politics, Shaheed Waja Ghulam Muhammad Baloch rebelled against those decisions and revived the spirit of “Fikr-e-Fida” (Fida’s ideology).
On Wednesday, 9 October 2003, Shaheed Waja Ghulam Muhammad Baloch held a historic press conference opposing the decision to dissolve BNM and announced the continuation of the organization along with its ideological foundations. The position of Shaheed Waja Ghulam Muhammad and his comrades was unambiguous:
“When politically seasoned activists emerging from BSO founded BNM on 24 December 1987 (later renamed the Balochistan National Movement in 1989), its purpose was to continue BSO’s long struggle, fill the political vacuum in the Baloch national liberation movement, free Balochistan from Pakistan’s forced occupation, and liberate the Baloch nation from Punjabi dominance. Under the leadership of Fida Ahmed Baloch, a non-compromising political strategy was adopted. However, after his martyrdom, the leadership abandoned this ideology and embraced Pakistani parliamentary politics—an approach already rejected by the Baloch nation.”
BNM’s nationalist leadership paid a heavy price for this principled stance. President Waja Ghulam Muhammad Baloch was forcibly disappeared; yet even after his release, he remained steadfast in his ideology. Ultimately, on 9 April 2009, he was martyred along with Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad Baloch.
After Waja Ghulam Muhammad’s martyrdom, the liberation movement—like BNM itself—was affected by personal rivalries, power struggles, and attempts at leadership-building based on likes and dislikes. However, BNM’s ideological cadres confronted these crises with patience, perseverance, and intellectual maturity. During this period, undemocratic and organization-averse forces attempted to shift the blame for their failures onto BNM. Facts were distorted through media trials, yet BNM avoided unnecessary confrontation on social media and remained focused on its destination.
Despite extremely challenging conditions, BNM successfully held democratic sessions in 2010, 2014, and April 2022, upholding organizational traditions. The April 2022 session, in particular, proved to be a milestone, demonstrating the organization’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Through constitutional amendments, BNM aligned its organizational structure with new requirements and embarked on a renewed journey.
Following this session, BNM re-emerged with renewed energy. Its ideology became clearer and more refined. “The struggle for Balochistan’s freedom on humanitarian foundations” remains the core principle of BNM. Within a short period, and under the principles of institutional politics, the organization activated departments for Human Rights, Capacity Building, IT, Information, and Culture. Despite limited resources, these departments opened new pathways for political engagement.
The coming year will mark another session of BNM, where new horizons await us. The words of Shaheed Waja Ghulam Muhammad Baloch continue to guide us today:
“BNM is not a party of leaders; it is a party of workers.”
It was this very philosophy that led him to choose national interest over the politics of privilege, endure immense hardships, and ultimately sacrifice his life.
Today, it is the responsibility of the workers to deeply analyze changing conditions, maintain unity and harmony within the ranks, and advance the party in an effective, result-oriented, and revolutionary direction. BNM is a revolutionary political organization—its role is not that of an NGO, but of an ideological and political movement.
BNM’s presence in the diaspora has played a crucial role in activating the organization at the international level. Under the leadership of Chairman Dr. Naseem Baloch, the party has achieved significant successes, and today the voice of the Baloch nation resonates across the world. Sustaining these achievements through institutional stability, accountability, and self-criticism is a collective responsibility—principles that Shaheed Waja Ghulam Muhammad emphasized in every meeting.
BNM is the first political party to raise the slogan of freedom for Balochistan. We are not only the ideological heirs of Shaheed Fida Ahmad Baloch and Shaheed Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, but also the custodians of the legacy of Abdul Aziz Kurd, Yusuf Aziz Magsi, and the long struggle of BSO. Through ideological maturity and practical struggle, we must prove ourselves worthy of this great inheritance.
