Current edition
Baloch National Movement — Constitution and Manifesto
Official translation
2 Constitution
1 Name of the Party #
The name of the party shall be the Baloch National Movement (BNM).
2 Central Office #
The central office of the party shall be in Shaal. It may, however, be moved anywhere at the discretion of the Central Cabinet, as time and circumstances require.
3 Flag #
The flag of the party shall consist of the colours red, two thirds, and green, one third. The red shall be on the right and the green on the left. In the middle of the red shall be a five-pointed star. The red symbolises struggle and sacrifice, the green prosperity, and the white star scientific knowledge and thought.
4 Central Organ #
The central organ of the party shall be named “Zrumbesh”, and shall be published three times a year.
5 Membership of the Party #
(i) Every Baloch who agrees with the aims and objectives, the Constitution and the Manifesto of the party may become a member of the party after serving three months as a Dozwah (candidate member).
(ii) The minimum age for regular membership of the party is eighteen years.
(iii) A member of the party shall, in word and deed, abide by the aims and objectives, policies, discipline and decisions of the party.
(iv) No member of the party may become a member of any other political party.
(v) A party member shall pay regularly the basic membership fee and the contributions levied by the party. The basic membership fee and the party membership fee shall be fixed by the Central Cabinet, and may differ between countries, Hankeen (zones), Taks (chapters) and Banzahs (units) according to their currency and economy.
(vi) A party member shall take part in party circles.
(vii) Every member of the party shall be bound to publicise and defend its ideology, policies and decisions, and to take part regularly in the activities of the party.
(viii) No member of the party may support, directly or indirectly, or become part of, the exploitative parliamentary system of the states occupying the Baloch homeland. In such a case his or her basic membership shall be terminated.
6 Rights and Duties of a Party Member #
(i) On obtaining basic membership, every member shall be entitled to vote in party elections.
(ii) A member shall be eligible to stand in party elections for any office of the party; provided that membership of the National Council is required for offices of the Central Committee and the Central Cabinet, and membership of the Hankeen Council for offices of the Hankeen.
(iii) Every member of the party may express his or her opinion freely, and may put forward proposals and recommendations, on any organisational or political activity, action, performance, problem or difficulty, in the appropriate forum of the organisation of which he or she is a member.
(iv) In all forums of the party the principles of constructive criticism and self-criticism shall be respected, and their practice shall be encouraged.
(v) Once a decision on any matter has been taken by the higher bodies of the party or in any regular forum of the party, no member shall have the right, individually, to comment publicly on it, to dissent from it in public, or to spread negative propaganda about it. He or she may, however, debate the decision in the regular forum of which he or she is a member with a view to changing it, and shall have the right to put forward proposals on it and to build opinion in their favour.
7 Organisational Structure of the Party #
For the attainment of the aims of the party, the following organisational structure is established:
(7.1) National Council (Central Council)
(7.2) Central Committee
(7.3) Central Cabinet
(7.4) Hankeen / Chapter Council (Zonal Council)
(7.5) Hankeen / Chapter Cabinet (Zonal Cabinet)
(7.6) Banzah (Unit)
(7.7) Cell System
7.1 National Council (Central Council) #
(i) The National Council shall be the highest and most authoritative constitution-making body of the party, and shall guide the party in the period between two National Council sessions.
(ii) The National Council shall have a total of 101 members, of whom the members of the Central Committee and the Central Cabinet shall be members of the Council by virtue of their office. The remaining members of the National Council shall be elected by regular ballot in the Hankeen / Chapter Councils, while the Central Cabinet shall be competent to decide the procedure for selecting members from the cells. Councillors from the cells shall be chosen on the basis of performance, and their selection shall be verified and confirmed by the Central Cabinet.
(iii) In ordinary circumstances, the decision to convene the National Council shall be taken by the Central Committee by majority vote.
(iv) The National Council shall meet at least once in four years.
(v) In an emergency, one quarter of the total members of the National Council may, by written notice to the Chairperson and the Secretary General, request that a session of the National Council be convened within one month.
(vi) The National Council may, by a two-thirds majority of its total members, amend, repeal or add to the Constitution, the Manifesto and the policies, except the fundamental basis of the party.
(vii) The National Council may, by a simple majority of its total members, terminate the membership of any member.
(viii) At its session the National Council shall elect the members of the Central Committee, except the four co-opted members, and the central office-bearers; and it may assign to the office-bearers of the party’s Central Cabinet, Hankeen and Banzahs special powers and duties, in addition to their powers under the Constitution, and entrust them with responsibilities.
(ix) The National Council shall have the power to approve or amend the annual report and other documents of the party, and may give decisions and directions in that regard.
(x) The National Council may, by a simple majority of its total members, pass a motion of no confidence against any office-bearer.
7.2 Central Committee #
(i) In the period between two National Council sessions, the Central Committee shall oversee all the activities of the party and shall be the most authoritative policy-making body of the party.
(ii) The Central Committee, whose members, including the Central Cabinet, shall number 27, shall be the highest executive and policy-making body of the party, and shall oversee and guide all subsidiary bodies and social, political and literary organisations.
(iii) All members of the Central Committee, including the Central Cabinet, shall be chosen by secret ballot of the members of the National Council Session, while the four co-opted members shall be chosen by a simple majority of the Cabinet; the co-opted members need not be elected members of the Central Council.
(iv) The Central Committee shall determine, on the basis of performance, the number of members for the National Council from the various Hankeen and Chapters, excluding the cells; the selection of councillors from the cells shall be the responsibility of the Cabinet.
(v) The Central Committee shall meet at least twice a year, and at least once in every six months.
(vi) Notice of at least ten days, together with the agenda, shall be sent for every meeting of the Central Committee; provided that in an emergency the Chairperson or the Secretary General may call a meeting at 72 hours’ notice. If the quorum is not complete, the meeting shall be adjourned and another meeting shall be called. Disciplinary action may be taken against any member who is absent from three consecutive meetings of the Central Committee.
(vii) One quarter of the total members of the Central Committee may, when necessary, request the Chairperson or the Secretary General of the party, by written notice, to call a meeting. The notice shall state the purpose of the meeting.
(viii) The Central Committee shall have the power to convene the National Council and to fix and change its date, and to hold conventions, conferences, seminars or other literary and social gatherings at every level of the party. The Central Committee shall also be competent to delegate these powers to the Central Cabinet.
(ix) Within the bounds of the Manifesto, the aims and objectives of the party and the National Council, the Central Committee shall have full power to draw up programmes, to decide on political activities and to form committees.
(x) The Central Committee shall have the power to form a united front with freedom-seeking organisations and political parties, to establish relations with them, and to run joint political campaigns.
(xi) The Central Committee shall have the power to debate and clarify any disputed constitutional, organisational or political question, and such clarifications by the Central Committee shall be deemed final.
(xii) In the event of the removal, resignation or death of any member of the Central Cabinet or the Central Committee, the Central Committee may fill the vacant seat.
(xiii) The Central Committee may remove any of its members from membership of the Committee by a simple majority of its total members; and any office-bearer of the Central Cabinet may be removed from membership of the Cabinet by the signatures of a simple majority of the total councillors of the National Council or by a two-thirds majority of the Central Committee. The member so affected shall, however, have the right to obtain a vote against the disciplinary action through the signatures of a simple majority of the National Council.
7.3 Central Cabinet #
7.3.1 Powers of the Cabinet #
(i) In administrative matters, the Cabinet shall be the most authoritative body of the party.
(ii) The Cabinet shall have the power to dissolve a Hankeen / Chapter, or, where the party organisation in a Hankeen / Chapter has ceased to exist, to organise it anew.
(iii) The Cabinet shall be competent to appoint, or to confirm, the organising body of any subsidiary body, whose term shall be three months.
(iv) The Cabinet shall be competent to form cells and nominate their organisers, to review the records and performance of cell members, and to choose central councillors for the cells on the basis of performance.
(v) The Cabinet shall choose the four co-opted members of the Central Committee.
(vi) At Cabinet meetings the performance of the party shall be reviewed in the light of the decisions of the Central Committee, and procedures for effective performance shall be decided.
(vii) The Cabinet shall be competent to criticise, make proposals on and take decisions about the performance of the various departments; but such decisions must be confirmed at the next meeting of the Central Committee, and if the Central Committee does not confirm a decision, it shall be deemed void.
7.3.2 Central Cabinet #
(7.3.2.1) Chairperson
(7.3.2.2) Senior Vice Chairperson
(7.3.2.3) Junior Vice Chairperson
(7.3.2.4) Secretary General
(7.3.2.5) Senior Joint Secretary General
(7.3.2.6) Junior Joint Secretary General
(7.3.2.7) Finance Secretary
(7.3.2.8) Information and Cultural Secretary
(7.3.2.9) Welfare Secretary
(7.3.2.10) Human Rights Secretary
(7.3.2.11) Foreign Secretary
7.3.2.1 Chairperson #
(i) The Chairperson shall be the head of the party.
(ii) The Chairperson may, as a disciplinary measure, suspend any member of the party or any member of the Central Committee (except the central office-bearers) for three months; such suspension must, however, be confirmed at the first meeting of the Central Committee.
(iii) The Chairperson may at any time call a meeting of any body of the party.
(iv) The Chairperson may preside over any meeting of the party.
(v) The Chairperson may take disciplinary action against any subsidiary body of the party, but such action must be confirmed by the Central Committee.
(vi) The Chairperson may nominate any member of the National Council to a vacant seat in any body of the party (other than the Central Cabinet), and the body concerned shall be competent, under the Constitution, to confirm the nomination.
(vii) The Chairperson may spend sums from the party fund for organisational matters as required; the approval of the Central Committee must, however, be obtained afterwards.
(viii) In an emergency the Chairperson may call a meeting of the Central Cabinet at 72 hours’ notice and take decisions by majority vote; such decisions must, however, afterwards be confirmed by the Central Committee.
7.3.2.2 Senior Vice Chairperson #
(i) In the event of the removal, resignation, illness or death of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson may exercise all the powers of the Chairperson.
(ii) The Vice Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in all the activities of the party.
(iii) The Vice Chairperson shall be the head of the party’s Circle Committee, of its syllabus-making body or of any permanent body established for that purpose, and shall supervise training matters.
7.3.2.3 Junior Vice Chairperson #
(i) Where the Senior Vice Chairperson is not in office, the Junior Vice Chairperson may, in the event of the removal, resignation, illness or death of the Chairperson, exercise all the powers of the Chairperson.
(ii) The Junior Vice Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in all the activities of the party.
(iii) The Junior Vice Chairperson shall assist the Hankeen and Chapters in the work of mobilisation.
7.3.2.4 Secretary General #
(i) The Secretary General shall be responsible for all the office affairs of the party and for the safekeeping of its records, documents and files.
(ii) The Secretary General shall be responsible for preparing the agenda for meetings of the Central Committee and the National Council, and for preparing the minutes of those meetings and presenting them at the next meeting.
(iii) The Secretary General shall be competent, in consultation with the Chairperson, to call meetings of the National Council, the Central Committee and other bodies.
(iv) The Secretary General shall be responsible for drawing up a programme for running the party in accordance with the Constitution, and for presenting it to a meeting of the Central Committee for approval.
(v) The Secretary General shall be competent to spend sums from the party fund for organisational matters as required.
7.3.2.5 Senior Joint Secretary General #
(i) In the event of the removal, resignation, illness or death of the Secretary General, the Senior Joint Secretary shall perform all the duties of the Secretary General.
(ii) The Senior Joint Secretary shall perform all the responsibilities entrusted to him or her by the Secretary General or the Central Committee.
(iii) The Senior Joint Secretary General shall supervise the work of mobilisation in the party and, in this regard, shall draw up programmes together with the Hankeen / Chapter secretaries and present them to the Central Committee for approval.
7.3.2.6 Junior Joint Secretary General #
(i) Where the Senior Joint Secretary General is not in office, the Junior Joint Secretary General shall, in the event of the resignation, removal, illness or death of the Secretary General, perform all the duties of the Secretary General.
(ii) The Junior Joint Secretary General shall perform all the responsibilities entrusted to him or her by the Secretary General or the Central Committee.
(iii) The Junior Joint Secretary shall supervise the party archive and be responsible for compiling the history of the organisation and of the movement, and in this work shall act in coordination with the Central Secretary General and the Information and Cultural Secretary.
7.3.2.7 Finance Secretary #
(i) The Finance Secretary shall head a three-member Finance Desk, which shall assist the Finance Secretary in the financial affairs of the party.
(ii) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for incurring expenditure in accordance with the budget on the instructions of the Chairperson or the Secretary General.
(iii) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for collecting contributions and donations in accordance with the instructions of the Chairperson, the Secretary General or the Central Committee.
(iv) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for keeping the accounts of all central funds, and for presenting the accounts of the party at the session of the National Council or as directed by the Central Committee.
7.3.2.8 Information and Cultural Secretary #
(i) A three-member Information Desk shall be established under the headship of the Information Secretary, which shall assist the Information Secretary in gathering information and in publication and broadcasting.
(ii) He or she shall be responsible for the publication of the party’s regular organ and, for this purpose, may when necessary form a Literary Committee and obtain the approval of the Central Committee for it.
(iii) He or she shall be responsible for making the party known and for having newspapers, circulars, pamphlets and the like published to publicise its aims, objectives and policies.
7.3.2.9 Welfare Secretary #
(i) The Welfare Secretary shall establish a three-member Welfare Desk, which shall assist him or her in welfare work.
(ii) He or she shall gather information about Baloch refugees and prepare a strategy for their welfare and for the education of their children.
(iii) The Welfare Secretary shall maintain contact with labourers, peasants and fishermen, shall guide the party on their problems and struggles, and shall report to the Central Committee.
(iv) The Welfare Secretary shall maintain contact with labour unions and with fishermen’s and peasants’ organisations, and shall report to the Central Committee on their activities.
(v) The party’s Department of Education, Department of Health and relief programmes shall be under the Welfare Secretary.
(vi) He or she shall organise programmes for the prevention of drug abuse and social evils in Balochistan.
(vii) He or she shall keep a close watch on the social problems, disasters and accidents of Balochistan and, having obtained information on them, shall guide the party on party policy and strategy.
7.3.2.10 Human Rights Secretary #
(i) The Human Rights Secretary shall establish a three-member Human Rights Desk to assist him or her.
(ii) He or she shall gather data on the human rights situation in Balochistan and send it regularly to the United Nations Working Group and to other international and regional human rights bodies.
(iii) He or she shall arrange, with the assistance of the Central Information Secretary, the publication of material on human rights.
7.3.2.11 Foreign Secretary #
(i) Foreign affairs shall be a department of the party under the Foreign Secretary, with three members including the Foreign Secretary.
(ii) The Foreign Secretary shall be responsible for implementing the foreign policy approved by the Central Committee.
(iii) The Foreign Secretary shall be bound to take the Chairperson of the party into confidence in all his or her affairs.
(iv) It shall be the responsibility of the Foreign Secretary to make known the party’s central policies on national and foreign affairs in diplomatic relations with independent countries, the United Nations and international forums.
(v) The Foreign Secretary shall work abroad to obtain diplomatic support for the Baloch movement.
(vi) The Foreign Secretary shall be responsible for informing the international community of the important political, economic and human rights issues of Balochistan, and shall coordinate this work with the relevant departments of the party.
(vii) He or she shall formulate a policy on foreign affairs and present it to the Central Committee for approval.
7.4 Hankeen / Chapter Council (Zonal Council) #
The constitutional powers, rights and duties and the organisational structure of the Hankeen and the Tak (Zone / Chapter) shall be the same. Bodies abroad equivalent to a Hankeen shall be called a Tak (Chapter).
(i) A Hankeen / Tak Council shall consist of at least four Banzahs.
(ii) The Hankeen / Tak Council shall be the most authoritative body of the party within the Hankeen.
(iii) One member in every three members of a Banzah shall be elected to the Hankeen / Tak Council.
(iv) The Banzah Secretary and the Banzah Deputy Secretary shall be members of the Hankeen / Tak Council.
(v) The Hankeen / Tak Council shall guide the Banzahs in membership drives in the primary Banzahs, and in political and social affairs and activities.
(vi) On the recommendation of a primary unit, the Hankeen / Tak Council may recommend to the Chairperson or the Secretary General disciplinary action against any ordinary member of that primary unit.
(vii) The Hankeen / Tak Council shall elect the office-bearers of the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet.
7.5 Hankeen / Tak Cabinet (Zonal / Chapter Cabinet) #
The Hankeen / Tak Cabinet shall consist of the following offices:
(7.5.1) President
(7.5.2) Vice President
(7.5.3) General Secretary
(7.5.4) Joint Secretary
(7.5.5) Finance Secretary
7.5.1 Hankeen / Tak President (Zonal / Chapter President) #
(i) The Hankeen / Tak President shall be the head of the party throughout the Hankeen / Tak.
(ii) The Hankeen / Tak President may preside over any meeting of the party in the Hankeen / Tak.
(iii) The Hankeen / Tak President may at any time call a meeting of any body of the party in the Hankeen / Tak.
(iv) The Hankeen / Tak President may, when necessary, spend up to twenty thousand rupees, or an equivalent sum, on party affairs without prior approval; the details of such expenditure must be presented at the next meeting of the Hankeen / Tak Council.
7.5.2 Vice President #
(i) In the event of the resignation, removal, illness, absence or death of the President, the Vice President may exercise all the powers of the President.
(ii) The Vice President shall assist the President in all the activities of the party.
7.5.3 General Secretary #
(i) The General Secretary shall be responsible for all the office affairs of the party in the Hankeen / Tak and for the safekeeping of its records, documents and files.
(ii) The General Secretary shall be responsible for preparing the agenda for meetings of the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet and the Hankeen / Tak Council, and for preparing the minutes of those meetings and presenting them at the next meeting.
(iii) The General Secretary shall be competent, in consultation with the President, to call meetings of the Hankeen / Tak Council, the Hankeen Cabinet and other bodies.
7.5.4 Joint Secretary #
(i) In the event of the resignation, removal, illness, absence or death of the General Secretary, the Joint Secretary shall perform all the duties and exercise all the powers of the General Secretary.
(ii) The Joint Secretary shall assist the General Secretary in the various affairs of the party.
7.5.5 Finance Secretary #
(i) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for incurring expenditure in accordance with the budget on the instructions of the President or the General Secretary.
(ii) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for collecting contributions and donations in accordance with the instructions of the President, the General Secretary or the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet.
(iii) The Finance Secretary shall be responsible for keeping the accounts of all the funds of the Hankeen / Tak, and for presenting the accounts of the party at the meeting of the Hankeen Council or as directed by the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet.
(iv) Of all the finances of the Hankeen / Tak, the Finance Secretary shall be bound to deposit 75 per cent in the central finances, and may retain 25 per cent locally for its own expenses.
7.6 Banzah (Unit) #
(i) All party units established in neighbourhoods and villages, and abroad, shall be called Banzahs.
(ii) At least seven members are required to establish a primary Banzah.
(iii) The power to form a Banzah in any area shall rest with the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet.
(iv) A Banzah shall have a Secretary and a Deputy Secretary, who shall be elected by the members of the Banzah.
(v) The Banzah Secretary shall be competent to call and preside over every meeting in his or her Banzah and to hold study circles, while the Deputy Banzah Secretary shall assist the Banzah Secretary in various matters.
(vi) A simple majority of a Banzah may recommend to the Chairperson or the Secretary General the suspension of the membership of any of its members (except members of the Hankeen / Tak Cabinet).
7.7 Cell System #
(i) The cell system shall apply where the establishment of the basic organisational structure (the Banzah) is not possible. The Cabinet shall decide the scope of the cells.
(ii) Cells shall work under a Coordinator and a Deputy Coordinator and shall report directly to the General Secretary, who shall be competent to present such reports only at a meeting of the Cabinet.
8 Disciplinary Action #
Under the Constitution, disciplinary action may be taken against any member of the party, any member of a Council, any member of the Central Committee, or any office-bearer of the Central Cabinet, a Hankeen, a Chapter or a primary unit; provided that the member or office-bearer concerned has violated, in word or deed, the Manifesto, the Constitution, the aims and objectives or the discipline of the organisation, or is involved in political, moral or financial corruption.
9 Funds #
The sources of the funds of the party shall be as follows:
(i) Membership fees and regular contributions.
(ii) Donations.
(iii) Sums received from the party’s publications and broadcasting.
(iv) Contributions for special occasions.
(v) Income from literary, social and welfare activities.
10 Elections #
(i) Elections for all bodies and offices of the party shall be held by secret ballot on the basis of “one person, one vote”.
(ii) For the election of the central offices, other than the four co-opted central members, the Central Council, and for the election of all other candidates the President or the Cabinet concerned, shall have the power to form a three-member “Election Committee”. The members of the Committee shall themselves nominate the Election Commissioner.
(iii) Upon the formation of the Election Committee, the Cabinet or body concerned shall stand dissolved.
(iv) In the event of a tie in an election, the Election Commissioner may use a casting vote.
11 Amendment, Quorum and No Confidence #
11.1 Amendment #
Only the National Council shall have the right to amend, repeal or add to the Constitution, the Manifesto and the programme of the party. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the members of the National Council present.
11.2 Quorum #
The quorum of the National Council, the Central Committee, the Central Cabinet and all other subsidiary bodies shall be formed by a simple majority; provided that, for an amendment of the Constitution, the quorum of the National Council shall be one third of its total members.
11.3 No Confidence #
A meeting may be called on the motion of one quarter of the members of the body concerned. Once the requirement of quorum is met, the body concerned shall be competent, in accordance with the Constitution, to remove any member or office-bearer from his or her basic membership or office by a simple majority.