The Balawaristan National Front is a minor political party seeking the independence of Northern Area Balawaristan (officially known as the Gilgit-Baltistan) located in Pakistan, as well as Chitral and Kohistan, in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The party also claims regions in Indian-Administered Kashmir, Kargil and Ladakh, as part of its historic territories. The party is represented in the 33-seat Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly by a single member, Nawaz Khan Naji.
There are no reliable indicators of its popularity, or whether it enjoys any significant political support. The leader of the party, Abdul Hamid Khan, is quoted as saying in 2002 that "We cannot measure the degree of support that we enjoy." The party fielded two candidates in the 2009 elections for the legislative assembly of Gilgit-Baltistan - though neither candidate was elected to the 33-seat assembly, which is dominated by mainstream Pakistani parties such as PPP, PML, and JUI. However, in a special by-election in 2011, BNF founder Nawaz Khan Naji won seat LA-22 Ghanche-I, with 46.4% of ballots cast in his favor. Upon taking his seat in the assembly, he undertook an oath to "remain faithful to the state of Pakistan". An ex-party fellow of Nawaz Khan Naji, Hamid Khan, claimed that Nawaz Khan Naji was an undercover ISI operative upon learning of his victory.
Read more about Balawaristan National Front: Background, Political Positions, Activities, See Also
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