Resolutions passed at the AWP Second Federal Congress on October 15-16, 2016

WORLD AND REGIONAL ISSUES

1) The AWP is against war and wants peace in the South Asian region as well as in the world. It considers the current escalation of tension and war mongering between Pakistan and India as a conspiracy of the ruling class of the two countries to divert the attention of the people from the mounting socio-economic problems.
2) The party supports friendly bilateral economic and political relations between neighbouring countries.
3) The party also condemns violence against the people of Indian-administered Kashmir and supports their right to self-determination.

4) The party opposes interference of imperialist powers in the affairs of the developing countries and condemns imposition of war on Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM
5) AWP demands separation of religion from state affairs and condemns extremism and terrorism. It demands an immediate end to the state patronage of jihadi, and extremist sectarian outfits.

ECONOMIC ISSUES
6) The party opposes capitalism and struggles for socialism. It considers the international financial institutions’ (IFIs) neo-liberal economic policy against the interests of the working class and people and demands the Pakistani rulers to stop privatization of public and semi-public entities as well as contract system in industrial units.
7) The party demands framing of pro-worker laws to ensure security of jobs, provision of free health, education, shelter and other basic needs to the industrial workers and their children.
8) The party also demands a minimum wage of Rs25,000 for the labourers, supports their basic rights including right of association and strike.

CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC):
9) AWP endorses the concerns of various nationalities about CPEC and demands the Pakistan government that all agreements with regard to foreign investment and development projects should be made keeping in view the interests and well-being of the working-class and oppressed nationalities.
10) Although it is inevitable to make alternative political and economic arrangements to free the developing countries, including Pakistan, from the stranglehold of imperialist powers and the neo-liberal policies of the international financial institutions, the interests of the local population and working class as well as environmental concerns should be given priority while entering into any political and economic agreement or arrangement with any country, including China.
11) The subjects of ports, shipping and mineral resources should be handed over to the provinces through a constitutional amendment.
12) The concerns of KP, Balochistan and GB should be addressed about the CPEC project. Its southern route should be constructed on priority basis.
13) The party also opposes shifting of Sost Dry Port from GB and demands handing over of its management to the local people.
14) The powers to legislate on and ownership of natural resources should be given to AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan legislative assemblies; hydel power, tourism, medical, engineering and technical education, health, and other projects should be included in the CPEC to ensure that the benefits of the project is given to the common people not the elite class.
15) The party opposes construction of mega hydel power projects in AJK and GB. Mega projects will affect the fragile environment and ecology of the mountain areas. Any development projects for these regions should be designed keeping in view the economic, environmental and social concerns of the local populations.
16) The party also demands that compensation for the land affected during the KKH reconstruction and the CPEC project should be given to the people of GB as per international law.
17) Agriculture: The party considers feudalism as the main hurdle in the development of society and strengthening of democratic values in society and institutions in the country. Therefore it demands an immediate abolition of feudal and tribal structures and implementation of land reforms to break the power base of landed aristocrats. All big land holdings should be distributed among landless peasants, workers and small tenants free of cost without any gender discrimination. The limit of landholding should be fixed at 50 acres rain-fed and 25 acres canal-fed to individuals.
18) Corporate Farming Act 2011 should be abolished; agriculture sector should be developed on modern lines, subsidy on agriculture inputs like seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and electricity and gas should be given to small farmers.
19) The party opposes land-grabbing by the military and their involvement in commercial activities and real estate business.

DEFENCE BUDGET
20) The Party is of the view that increase in defence budget, debt servicing and other non-productive expenditures will exacerbate the unemployment, poverty and other social and civic problems. Therefore, it demands drastic cut in defence and other non-development budgets and increase the allocations for education, health and other basic needs of the people.

ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE AND POLITICAL PRISONER
21) The Party condemns harassment of progressive and nationalist activists. The party also condemns filing of cases against AWP leaders — Ghulam Dastagir Mehboob and Baba Jan as well as peasants’ leader Mehr Abdul Sattar and others — under anti-terrorism laws on trumped up charges and demands their immediate release.
22) The Party also expresses concern over the rising incidents of enforced disappearance, extra-judiciasl killings and dumping of bullet-riddled and mutilated bodies in Balochistan, Sindh and other areas. It considers this as violation of the universal fundamental human rights as well as the constitution and demands an immediate end to state terrorism.
23) The Party demands immediate recovery of writer Wahid Baloch and student activist Shabbir Baloch and punishment to those individuals and institutions who are involved in such crimes.

SOCIAL ISSUES
24) The Party opposes all kinds of economic and social discrimination on the basis of gender and demands an end to the rising violence against women and children. It demands abolition of all anti-women laws.
25) It rejects the anti-honour killings bill passed recently by the parliament and demands its revision with removal of Qisas and Diyat sections from the bill.
26) Education: The party opposes class-based outdated education system in the country. It demands introducing uniform education system based on science and secular values.
27) The Party demands removal of controversial anti-people and pro-jihadi material from the curricula.
28) The Party demands restoration of student unions and withdrawal of Rangers and other law enforcement agencies from universities.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
29) The party supports freedom of media and considers freedom of expression and freedom of access to information as the fundamental rights of citizens enshrined in the constitution.
30) It condemns pressure tactics and coercive methods being used against media especially GEO and Dawn and the harassment of a senior journalist. The party considers the controversial news item published in the Dawn as according to the national interest because unless and until ban is not imposed on extremist jihadi outfits like Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiyeba and Haqqani Network Pakistan will face allegations from the west of promoting terrorism and face diplomatic isolation.

(For Urdu version click on the link >>) Urdu version of resolution