THE DECLARATION AND RESOLUTION ISSUED BY THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARTICIPANT PARTIES AT LEFT ALTERNATIVE CONFERENCE, ISLAMABAD.
Imdad Qazi Secretary General, CPP and the representatives of other mainstream Left political parties and the parties of the Federating units vehemently called upon the rulers of the country while addressing at the National Press Club, Islamabad to the Left Alternative Conference to reduce their lavish spendings incurred by their extravagant lifestyle at the cost of the poor of the country to give the country traction out of the deep morass of prevalent economic crisis. They pointed that from the president to the governors, and from the prime minister to the chief ministers, down to federal and provincial ministers along with the federal and provincial MPs, civil and military bureaucrats and judges of the higher judiciary should get their salaries and perks and privileges considerably curtailed to deliver the country from the ruthless boot of the IMF conditionalities and as such put the country on the course of progress and development.
The Left Alternative Conference was convened by the CPP on June 18, 2022 wherein the delegates of the sixteen leftist parties participated. The speakers categorically expressed deep concern over the deteriorating socioeconomic situation of the country the responsibility of which they squarely placed on the shoulders of the civil-military bureaucracy which is in collusion with judiciary and capitalist and aristocratic elites of the country. The labourers, workers and the masses in general bear the brunt of the worsening condition through paying direct and indirect taxes augmented by inflation and joblessness. The toiling masses are left with no alternative other than self-immolation along with family members to spare themselves the life of hunger, destitution and shame. The speakers regretted that the middle class is going through great motions to provide their families with two-square meal. On the contrary, the ruling junta is busy mercilessly gobbling down the resources of the smaller provinces and nationalities, especially Balochistan with impunity. People's lives have been ruined in cahoots with international imperialists and countries with imperialistic designs as well as financial organizations.
To counter this depressing and hopeless situation, the Left Parties were in full agreement that they have to get united to provide an alternative platform for the masses.
The speakers insisted that the capitalists are engaged in a very bestial manner to accumulate wealth and riches through exploitation of the havenots of the world. They're savagely destroying the natural environment by contributing to the hazardous environmental pollution. They called a spade a spade by rightly pointing to the fact that the path leading to the solution of these socioeconomic problems goes through socialism. To vanquish imperialism along with its stooges, i. e, civil-military bureaucracy, primitive feudalism and bloodthirsty capitalism harnessed with neo-liberalism is only possible through Socialist Revolution to achieve the wider aims of prosperity and happiness.
A joint declaration was issued at the end of the conference and a 5-member Committee was constituted to further the realization of the objective of the Left Alliance. It was decided, moreover, that every participant party shall, in this context, seek the approval of the respective central committees before meeting on July 23 at Islamabad. The final touches will be given to the next course of action coupled with arriving at the consensual decision of the alliance name and organizational structure.
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DECLARATION _________________________
The following declaration was issued at the end of the conference attended by the delegates of the progressive and leftist parties which work under the universal principles of freedom and greater autonomy as informed by Marxism-Leninism.
Since its very inception, Pakistan became a security state getting inspiration from the religious dogmas, parochial ideas instead of being destined to be a secular welfare state. This led to the lopesided empowerment of the security establishment at the expense of the atrophy of the sociopolitical and socioeconomic institutions.
The country has been regrettably turned into a client state that rendered it to find itself in the midst of the crater of the crises. Currently, the country is grappling with unsurmountable structural crisis that has brought it at the verge of bankruptcy multiplied by inflation, joblessness and other multiple socioeconomic problems. The ruling elitist parties and their cohort civil-military bureaucracy have held the state hostage whose institutions are used as a handmaid in collaboration with the imperialist financial organizations like IMF, etc to the detriment of the interests of the country. To hope any good from such parties and groups of welfare and relief for the toiling masses is nothing but a delusion at its worst.
Therefore, we, the Leftist Parties, have agreed on the following program to come for the rescue of oppressed and deprived nationalities and the people at large at this hour of national chaos.
1 We will together strive for the emancipation from the IMF and other exploitative financial organizations that are instrumental in staunching the subsidies alongside increase in the utility bills and prices of the daily commodities. To deliver Pakistan in its true sense of the word, we will work for bringing an end to the neo-liberal economic policies, controlling the unbridled inflation, stopping privatization and annually creating job opportunities.
2 We will endeavor to fashion the federation of Pakistan with guiding principles of secularism, with full provincial autonomy for the federating units, with equal rights for all minorities.
3. We will exert our efforts for the repealment of all discriminatory laws against women and the minorities so that they may live with safety, dignity, self-respect and without gender discrimination. To this end, fundamental amendments shall be demanded to be effected in the constitution of Pakistan.
4. Efforts shall be made to bring an end to the military operations carried out in different parts and federating units of the country and forced disappearances. We will work for the immediate release of all political and human rights activists or get them to be tried in the court of law with full freedom of defence to prove their innocence.
5. Our joint efforts shall be concentrated to bring about financial autonomy of the federating units, royalty over natural and mineral resources, practically an end to the concurrent list under the 18th amendment of the constitution to hand over the residual powers and departments to the federating units with the abolition of the federal ministries thereof to stop the national resources going to the drain.
6. We will struggle in unison for the restoration of the State-Subject Rules, repealment of the 4th schedule and right to making independent decisions by the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir under the principles of freedom of expression and liberty.
7. All endeavors shall be made towards the realization of longstanding inexorable demand of the people of Saraiki and Waseeb to achieve the status of a province for their region.
8. All non-productive expenditures, particularly that of military ones shall be resisted tooth and nail. Will commit ourselves to the goal of rescinding all perks and privileges with burgeoning allowances of the civil-military bureaucrats of grade 18 and above including judges that have taxed the public exchequer beyond imagination.
9. Will work tirelessly to abolish feudalism and aristocracy by parceling out the vast tracts of land under the possession of a single individual or family into small holdings of the peasants wherein they toil. For this purpose we will galvanize our parties gathered in alliance for achieving the ceiling of 50 acres of the irrigated land and 100 acres for the non-irrigated one. Will focus our energies to have tax rebate on the holdings of 16 acres and less.
10. Will struggle for the industrial development and getting the closed units to operate once again.
11. Will aim our efforts at the implementation of Indus Waters Treaty for the due share of canal Waters to be allotted to the smaller provinces along with the involvement of all stakeholders in the process of decision making about the manipulation of Waters from upstream to down stream. We will strive together to set those injustices right done to the smaller federating units and J&K. The upstream construction of any dam shall be resisted and to rescue the Indus Delta, efforts shall be put into gear to allow 10,000 cusec water to be released downstream from the Kotri Barrage.
12. Will struggle for the realization of the social security and old-age benefits for the peasants working on the agricultural farms on daily wages in line with industrial workers.
13. Will work to dismantle gig economy and system of the third-party involvement and thus help the workers to be employed on permanent basis and given the right to form trades unions under law; will work hard to help fix minimum pay of Rs 40,000 for all workers and employees and the implementation thereof.
14. Journalists working in print and electronic media must have a fair and just pay and remuneration with group insurance and job protection as determined by the Wage Board to cope with the prevalent situation of backbreaking inflation and price hike. The alliance shall strive for this shoulder to shoulder with the journalists.
15. The state shall be made to realize the foremost responsibility of free quality education and medical treatment, job and amenity of a house to live therein with dignity and honour.
16. Will not rest until we have, through unified efforts, made the state provide jobs for the jobless youth with unemployment allowance till they have a work to do.
17. Will spare no efforts to get the students unions revived so that students have an opportunity to elect their representatives in educational institutions and as such contribute to throwing up a vibrant future political leadership of the country as the educational institutions always have served as a political nursery through length and breadth of the world.
Signed by the Representatives of the Parties mentioned hereunder,
1. Pakistan Mazdoor Kisan Party (Afzal Khamosh)
Shakeel Waheedullah
2. Pakistan Mazdoor Kisan Party (Taimor rahman)
Fahim Zulfiqar
3. Pakistan Inqilabi Party
Sabir Ali Haider
4. Pakistan National Party
Senator Tahir Bizenjo
5. Awami Tahreek
Noor Ahmad Katiar
6. Awami Jamhoori Party
M. Qasim MirJat
7. Jeay Sindh Mahaz
M. Hashim Khoso
8. Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz
Adv Naeem Qureshi
9. JK People's National Party
Advocate Zulfikar Khan
10. JK National Awami Party
Abdul Nasir Aakash
11. JK Awami Workers Party
Advocate Nisar Ali Shah
12. Gilgit-Baltistan Awami Workers Party
Baba Jan
13. Gilgit-Baltistan Bachao Tahreek
Shabbir Mayar
14. Haqooq Khaliq Party
Advocate Ali Behram
15. Pakistan Saraiki Party
Dr Nakhba Langah
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