LAHORE, April 9, 2018: The Awami Workers Party (AWP) reiterates its support to people’s movements for their fundamentals rights and against the retrogressive and exploitative state policies. Pakistan’s ruling class parties and the establishment will no longer be able to protect the outdated crumbling political and economic system or hide their contradictions.
The so-called ‘revolutionaries’, and ‘champions of the change’ cannot change the system. Fundamental and structural changes can be brought about only by a genuine Left wing party by offering an alternative socialistic economic agenda to the working class and working people.
These and other demands were made through various resolutions at the conclusion of the two-day Federal Committee meeting of AWP that was held at Lahore on April 7 and 8.
The party leaders discussed organizational, ideological and political issues and took some important decisions about party building, future line of action and stressed the need for cohesion and unity of thought and action within the party.
It was also decided to expedite efforts for building a united front of the Left, progressive and democratic forces to counter neo-liberal economic agenda, rising tide of extremism, and the establishment’s meddling in democratic and state institutions’ affairs.
Different movements and protests against state repression and enforced disappearances in Balochistan, Sindh and Fata, as well as economic exploitation of the working class, are evidence of people’s disenchantment with the system, the AWP President Fanoos Gujjar said.
The party supports all such people’s movements — whether it is about the economic and political mainstreaming of tribal people, or against enforced disappearances in KP, Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, he pledged.
The AWP president Fanoos Gujjar, general-secretary Akhtar Hussain, senior vice-president Yousafmasti Khan, deputy general-secretary Ismat Shah Jehan, spokesperson Farooq Tariq in a statement called for an immediate end to military operations in FATA and Balochistan, enforced disappearances and targeted killings of Hazara community in Quetta.
They asked the security apparatus to eliminate safe sanctuaries of the terrorists in tribal areas and sectarian outfits in Quetta asked the government to take long-term measures such as curriculum reforms and a change in the state’s foreign policy objectives to address the phenomenon of terrorism in the country and the region.
The party decided to fully support and participate in the rally called by Pakhtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) on April 22 in Lahore and called upon all progressive and democratic forces to get united on a platform on a minimum agenda to strengthen such movements that will lead to a broader and long-term struggle for structural changes in the country.
The AWP also supports the struggle of marginalized health workers, young doctors, peasants, transgender persons and demands the government to increase their wages and ensure social protection to them.
The party also demands imposition of taxes on commercial entities of the armed forces and on agriculture income of the feudal and generals.
The AWP rejects the tax amnesty scheme to filthy rich people and considers it a bid to plug the fisher between the ruling class and the establishment to give a lease of life to the government instead of providing tax amnesty scheme to the elite and corrupt big fishes should announce relief to the workers, peasants in the forthcoming budget.
The party also demanded to fix Rs25,000 as the minimum wages of a labour, enforcement of labour laws, provision of quality health, education, housing and other basic services to all Pakistanis irrespective of their means.
The party also expressed concern over the judicial activism that will weaken the fledgeling democratic system and strengthen undemocratic forces.
The party warned that it will resist any extra-constitutional steps that may disrupt the democratic process and undermine the supremacy of the parliament.
The AWP also expresses concern over the increased meddling by the establishment’s and international imperialist donor agencies in political and economic matters especially the move to rollback the 18thamendment and vowed to resist it.
The AWP also criticized almost all mainstream political parties including PML-N, PPP, PTI who are complicit in the face of the growing encroachment of the establishment upon civilian affairs has called upon all progressive forces to come together and build a genuinely democratic alternative to the present system in which all forms of oppression and exploitation are eliminated.
The party also expressed concern over the escalation in border conflict in Kashmir and loss of life and demanded an immediate end to violence on both sides of the Line of Control and called for the resumption of peace dialogue tween India and Pakistan to resolve the longstanding issues.
The party also expressed concern over the occupation of people’s land and resources in Gilgit-Baltistan and supported the demands of the AWP-GB to stop the process and issuance of licences for mining in the region.
The party supports media workers and journalists demand of constitution of 8th Wage Board and regularization of the contractual employees as well as service structure for the electronic media workers and protection of life to them.