Progressive Movement of Pakistan

History and Struggle for a United Party

Adopted at the Founding Conference held in Lahore on 20-21 March 2010

Progressive political forces of various hues and colours, divided into various groups and parties came together and formed NAP (National Awami Party). This was the first ever merger of left-leaning groups, individuals and parties in Pakistan. It was in 1980s that the Left Democratic Front came into being as a result of combination of Pakistan Socialist Party (PSP), Pakistan Qaumi Mahaz-i-Azadi (PQMA), Pakistan Mazdoor Kisan Party (PMKP), Awami Fikri Mahaz, Communist Party of Pakistan and Watan-Dost Inqlabi Party (WDIP).

The aims and objectives of forming Left Democratic Front was to end the remnant tribal and feudal dominance, to give equal rights to all nationalities of Pakistan, to free Pakistan from the political and economic dominance of Imperialism, to establish democracy by ending dictatorship, to bring to an end all sorts of the proletariat and the toiling masses and to work hard towards the establishment of an affluent society in Pakistan.

Unfortunately this united front of the entire left wing of Pakistan failed to activate our movement because none of the component political parties of the front was organised, resourceful and broad-based to the extent that it could mobilise the whole of this united front. Therefore, slowly and gradually, this united front became inactive.

Later on each component party of the united front, on their own, again felt the need of forming a more broad-based party. As a result a faction of PSP and the Communist League jointly convened a congress in November 1988 and formed Pakistan Workers Party (PWP) on the basis of harmonious ideology and practice.

The room for improvement was again felt and  to form a still more broad-based leftist party, three parties namely PWP, Quami Inqlabi Party and PQMA convened a conference at Lahore in April 1992 and formed Awami Jamhuri Party (Peoples Democratic Party/ PDP).

In much the same way, CPP and PMKP moved forward to get united. They convened a conference in May 1994 formed Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party (CMKP). The efforts to move towards greater unity continued and in May 1999 National Workers Party was formed as a result of merger of Awami Jamhuri Party, Pakistan National Party and Pakistan Socialist Party.

In spite of all these efforts none of the resultant left unity could evolve as a an alternate political force that could bring about a change in the existing political set-up in the country. However due to the consistent struggle and ideological commitment the NWP and the CMKP, along with other left wing elements of the country decided to get merged into a new party.

Beginning in 1988 until 2010, though a number of leftist parties, groups and individuals have been brought together to organise a single country-wide party, yet a few individuals and some groups are still out of the folds of this new party. The act of forming a new political party every now and then is genuinely criticised. But this making and breaking process is also inevitable on account of the objective conditions prevalent in Pakistan and also due to ideological and organisational state of affairs of various leftist parties. This process, as said earlier, has to be undergone.  Whatever may be the case, this is, however, true that it takes years to a Party achieve an identity of its own and to become familiar amongst the people. Therefore changing name and structure of party every now and then is politically lethal for that party. The joint committee formed by NWP and CMKP contacted with other leftist parties and groups so that every one with a left-leaning approach in politics may be brought into the folds of Workers Party Pakistan. Therefore, Five progressive, leftist political parties, namely National Workers Party Pakistan, Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (Communist Workers and Peasants Party) Pakistan, Peoples Rights Movement Pakistan (Peoples Resistance), Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation (Patriot Labour Federation) and Awami Mazdoor Anjuman (Peoples Labour Association), along with a number of other progressive democratic groups operating in the different regions of the Pakistan, anti-imperialist intellectuals, trade unionists and enlightened youth, after a series of meetings, discussions and debates have decided in a national conference on 20-21 March 2010 to merge into a single political party called Workers Party Pakistan.