Pakistan National Party merges with Balochistan National Party-Mengal

QUETTA: In a noteworthy political development, former Balochistan Assembly MPA, Syed Ehsan Shah, has announced to merge his Pakistan National Party (PNP) with the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), led by Sardar Akhtar Mengal,

Following the dissolution of the Balochistan Assembly on August 12, political parties in the province have been gearing up for the next general election in the country.

Sardar Akhtar Mengal spent a week in Quetta engaging with various political parties, including the National Party (NP), in an effort to build a broader political alliance. The aim of the engagement was to address the pressing economic, social, political, and human rights issues that Balochistan faces.

Syed Ehsan Shah, a former MPA from Balochistan’s Makran division, who had previously held various portfolios in Quddus Bizenjo’s cabinet, announced the merger of his party with BNP-M during a press conference at his residence.

This significant decision comes after a series of meetings between the two parties.

Syed Ehsan Shah has a history of political affiliations in Balochistan. He was once a member of BNP-N and even served as the finance minister in Akhtar Mengal’s cabinet back in 1998.

However, he later parted ways with Mengal, which led to Mengal’s removal from the chief minister’s seat.

Subsequently, Syed Ehsan Shah joined forces with Israr Zehri and Asad Baloch to form the Balochistan National Party (Awami) and remained with the party until 2018.

Syed also parted ways with BNP (Awami) after differences with Asad over a quota seat reserved for woman in the Balochistan Assembly, leading him to form his own separate party PNP.

Prior to the last Senate election, SyedEhsan Shah’s wife, Naseema Ehsan Shah, also joined BNP-M and later became a senator on the party’s ticket.

In recent weeks, several lawyers have also joined BNP-M in Balochistan, pledging to advocate for the political rights of the people.

However, BNP-N, in the recent past, faced criticism over its decision to join the Pakistan Democratic Movement-led federal government. The party’s dedicated supporters had expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the party and its provincial representatives, which led to the poor showing of the party in the recently held local elections, particularly in Khuzdar district, the hometown of Mengal.

Mengal’s recent engagement with various political forces suggests his efforts to consolidate support within the province ahead of the general election.