Leadership stress on unity in ranks and file of the party to broaden its outreach and speed up struggle against the status quo and imperialism
The Awami Workers Party (AWP) kicked off preparations for its federal congress scheduled for 12-13 March 2022 with workers’ meetings held at the Lahore party office and Faisalabad over the weekend.
The two sessions were addressed by Federal President Yusuf Mustikhan, general secretary Akhtar Hussain, Federal Committee member Aasim Sajjad and Gilgit-Baltistan leader Baba Jan.
The meetings brought together party leaders and members from Lahore, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Chiniot and Faisalabad city featuring a lively debate on the political document prepared by the party for the Congress.
The party leadership also lambasted the hybrid regime’s anti-people agenda, and the economic free fall, in particular, that has destroyed working peoples’ livelihoods en masse. The party also condemned the bulldozing of more than 30 legislative bills in the National Assembly and warned that democracy in Pakistan will continue to be subjugated to the military establishment if neoliberal economic policies are unchallenged within the political mainstream.
They emphasised the need for the contemporary left movement to give primacy to debates around digital technology and ecological breakdown alongside established themes like class struggle, the national question and feminism.
More generally the party leadership impressed the need for unity in the ranks and file to strengthen the party and make it a genuine alternative force to the status quo.
The party also expressed solidarity with the protesting fisherfolk of Gwadar, katchi abadi residents fighting eviction in Karachi and Islamabad, and students as well as youth all over the country.
They also formally sent felicitations to the heroic farmers’ movement in India which has just won a spectacular victory against the neoliberal anti-people agenda spearheaded by the Hindu supremacist Modi regime.
The party leadership also expressed solidarity with the people and leadership of Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Sudan against the imperialist coup attempts to overthrow democratically elected governments.
In Lahore, AWP organizing secretary Javed Akhtar, Professor Salahuddin, Rana Azam Advocate, Zahid Pervez, Labour Secretary Safdar Sandhu, and Punjab secretary Abida Choudhry also took part in the discussion.
In Faisalabad, President Yousuf Mustikhan, general secretary Akhtar Hussain, former Punjab party President Aasim Sajjad, Alia Amirali and Javed Akhtar addressed the meeting.
Local leaders Arif Ayaz, Chaudhry Zubair, Ali Hasan Fatemi and Mukhtar Rehmat expressed their resolve to induct youth into leadership positions in the party.