Politics of Left in Electoral Pakistan

In Pakistan, on academic level most of political discussions are laboured with putting efforts on understanding and comparing various topics of democracy, economy, functional systems, devolution, federal vs. unitary, parliamentary vs. presidential, caliphate, and leftists political ideologies. But, in masses this discussion excludes left politics, where thinking of a common man shrinks between Islamic models, punishments of corrupt officials and lusty elites, to some touches towards the topics of the democracy. Further, taking such at structural level, these discussions and debates look for some aspects of Caliphate vs. Shura system and presidential vs. parliamentary systems in those functional features. Still, analysis about left politics in recent years is very much missing from public debates and its return to Chopal, Thara and Baithak discussion is waiting new opportunities somewhere in future.

The names of parties having words workers, peasants, social, justice, people can indicate some left trends in their manifesto but to make it politics of left they required more pro-people and revolutionary taste in politics. We find in Pakistani mainstream media most of discussion and debates are far away from essence that are core in left ideologies and politics. One of major reasons of such trends can be traced in era of 1980s, when we find very violent crackdown on the supporters of left parties, along with promotion of right wing politics by Zia Ul Haq regime. Unfortunately, later PPP’s governments fail to keep grip and essence of left identity as it played a compromising role on its electoral politics that inclined to induct many feudal and capitalists into the party, while worker leaders almost disappeared from mainstream politics of party. Again BB in her government was more keen to join hands with US and have to distance her from politics of left, choosing to remain kind of Centre-left in her working as Prime Minister of Pakistan. In 1970s, Pakistan witnessed rise of guilds, associations and unions that slowly disappeared to political stories and books of past. Though, we still find some of major worker unions still functional and active for the rights of their members but these unions are far away in playing any electoral role in our mainstream politics. Once, I got a chance to be present in such meeting, where workers and political leaders of a left political party were gathered to organise an election campaign for a by-election in Rawalpindi and it was sad to find how these guys were at a moon distance from ground realities. It was not pleasant experience to witness, how much false claims and hopes were being tabled by both supporters and enthusiastic candidate, ignoring all electoral realities in the area.

Recently, I tried to read through various articles written about left wing politics in Pakistan. Most of such were mere historical timelines about communist and socialist parties in Pakistan mentioning of Pakistan People’s Party, Communist Party Pakistan, National Awami Party, Awami National Party and other parties. Many such articles also carrying interesting and good points about challenges faced by left political parties while they working inside Pakistan. There are some lights on issues of organising leftist parties to a level of activism and to how shape a better resistant politics. Yet, we can find that such writings focusing on trends and responses towards everyday atrocities but not making any discussion on, how to shape long term left-wing politics, and these focusing more to the understanding of demonstration and the impact these make. Though people are looking for some platforms that could help to raise their voices in cases of injustice, but electoral political map is very different and long-term which demanding to adopt electoral strategies.

For the gross-root political development one have to understand electoral dynamics of Pakistan that have qualities of bradrism, election campaign and media strategies, polling day supports, many of pre-poll and polling day strategies, plus clear post election strategies that required political alliances and bargains. A political activism is key aspect of political mobilisation and articulation but is it enough for making impacts to contribute in political realities and functioning of systems? It is observed that again and again political parties in Pakistan will indulge into the act of blames & diversions, where they will blame their failures (either they are in opposition or even in governments) to unsupportive Pakistani political system and discouraging political level play field. Where Pakistani system was, is and surely will be missing many supporting infrastructure that could ensure ease and freedom to assemble & to present demands to system in collective manner same as its in the case of most of the western countries.

We cannot make good understanding of left politics in Pakistan by counting on activism on Social media and observing intellectuals which are known for their roles in left-wing politics in Pakistan. We have witnessed, how PTI in 2013 faced a situation when they over relied on social media activism and were fail badly to materialise those energies in national elections. The factor of mass mobilisation is key but turning it into vote bank takes more strategic planning and skills. There must be count on organising movements and staging protests, similar will be with mobilising voters to come out and vote for a party or candidate and working for better political culture of collective debate and assembly. Where parties in alliance that tried to win Pakistani voters have to adjust their core ideologies and need for having a functional electoral strategy level. For example in PPP, we will find only those faces from left ideology like Chaudhary Manzor and Qamar Ul Zaman Kaira who carrying essences of left political thoughts but they adjusted their electoral politics to meet ground reality in their constituency. We can easily find number of people who support leftist politics sharing their disappointments about such people but functionality of political system is more influential than ideology and one has to act accordingly to keep in the game.

But, to reduce distance of collective politics & ideological ground, one have to develop some interest in understanding of human civilisations, history, politics and human and group behaviours. If we try to study leftist and guilds politics in Pakistan, we can find three separate eras in it, pre-partition era, post independence era till 1980s and modern era including politics of 1990s and beyond. Pakistani left politics suffered various wrong choices and misunderstandings that lead sharp decline to it. For example its dependence over international support, which damaged it badly after fall of the Soviet Union further the event also shaken the trust of followers of left ideology. Further left politics internally got divided into three divisions which taken away its energies by camping into following parts of PPP (party in government but with compromises on leftist politics), smaller & regional political parties that fail to win electoral politics and unions of workers and peasants dominated by few known players for decades (in bad hegemonic way) compromising on the essence of left ideologies.

Putting fast forward, if we want to see how left politics, can come back to claim its due space in electoral system of Pakistan by bridging gaps in their electoral strategy, it all will depend how they have learned from past mistakes on their journey into history?

Whether, they have understood political culture of Pakistan and its elite oriented and elite run polity? Are they ready to find a way to impress the masses in this political culture or they still want to carry on with their tight ideological structures, which may take extra time and energies to make it to reach to people of Pakistan. It will be interesting to find how left political parties will accommodate agricultural mindset, cause it is easy to find literature, terminology and motivations for the factory workers in Pakistani left politics, rather than bringing an indigenous look in their mobilisation that demands more local terminology. It will be more on finding ways to come with new indigenous talks and terminology for farmers and villagers than carrying edited work that was actually created to attract factory workers in western hemisphere.

In every election since 1988 left politics was a failure to make impact over Pakistani voters, by a large margin. Top two political parties in Pakistan been claiming support of maximum 38% of polled votes in elections, which given second standing political party with 10% to 20% less electoral support in same. But, it is interesting to note that where all leftist and religious parties never been able to win more than 10% of polled votes in any election (religious parties been performing better than leftists) but such results indicate two clear electoral chances and ray of hope for any form of political parties either left or right wingers. These results share that two major political parties never been able to win more than 52% of polled votes, secondly for any political group real potential is working on those more than 48% voters in Pakistan those never appear to vote on election day even during highest tuned out election of 2018.

Leftists required to come with changes in their political approach in countries like Pakistan, for example the slogan of Islamic Socialism is not weak slogan in consideration to political and electoral behaviours in Pakistan. One have to accept religious realities and have to accommodate these not as some believe system but have to find what is there in religions that can easily be merged in leftist political views. Though such may sound alien to readers but removing stagnation of thoughts and ideas is also important aspect of left politics and one have to look this accordingly. If, left political thinkers refuse to adopt such approach that considers religious sentiments of the people excusing behind writing and believes of Karl Marx this intellectually will take leftist thinkers back to very place of systematic “thought rituals” that makes an idea a believing religion. To make electoral politics workable in Pakistan leftist thinkers must come with accommodation of good religious traditions to be acceptable in political spheres. A Sub-continent mind is deeply connected with “religious bhagti” religious terminology and interpretations and adopting such will never be forbidden in leftist ideology but otherwise its less likely for acceptance of left politics at mass levels in this region. A left mind will not find itself alienated in Islamic ideology which carries qualities of shared ownership along with private one, collective welfare and utilisation of resources, further Islamic traditions promote socialised distribution of resources for general good. There is no un-bridgeable distance between Islamic political thoughts and leftist political thoughts.

It is evident that left political groups and parties fail to turn their support into electoral strength inside Pakistan, other than Pakistan People’s Party with her politics in late 60s and of 70s. Left also failed to understand and accommodate baradry system, since 1990s its leadership never tried to reach mainstream by focusing over electoral politics. Pakistan is complete feudal mind society, where acceptance to a political idea only comes after its leadership wins some assembly seats, tries some role in governmental system and holds some ministries. In presence of many ground realities without adopting electoral & popular political activism, no party form left will be able to win fruits of their struggles. To take a test and start better engagements in electoral system local body elections are best platform for any political ideology, to learn making on electoral political map. To rise in political support and make better impacts on future of Pakistan, left political thinkers must design way for political parties they support to make their way for electoral journey in Pakistan in more realistic terms by seizing on the moment. Where huge portion of voters in Pakistan are wary of traditional political parties and to convert ideological strength into political reality, electoral politics starting from local governments must be key for the politics of left-wing in Pakistan.