Leaning to the left
A new, essentially left-wing political party is on the verge of being announced in Pakistan. Among its leading figures is Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, the grandson of arguably the country’s most well-known centre-left leader. He is expected to be joined by others who share his idealistic, Western-leaning, and politically untested outlook. But can such a party find success in a country where history has not been kind to the Left – and, in a twist of irony, has also often turned against the extreme Right?
At this moment in time, the world is of course on an orbit to the Right. The US’s Donald Trump leads this group of right-wing leaders but the same trend can be seen across swathes of Europe and Asia, including India. There are leftist governments clustered in South America and the centre-left labour party in Australia as well as those sharing the same ideologies in other parts of the world who are trying their best to move towards giving people more rights, a voice of their own and economic development. Some like Lula da Silva, who has made a comeback in Brazil, are succeeding to a limited degree. Others are doing less well or moving rapidly ahead on their chosen path.
One question we need to ask and answer honestly is why the Left has failed consistently in Pakistan despite the urgent need for leftist policies which deal with the plight of landless peasants, peasants with small holdings, workers, women and so many other........
© The News International
