Strong need for revival of Left movement in Pakistan: Pak Editorial - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had recently highlighted a significant issue concerning the Left movement in Pakistan, when he questioned the silence of the intellectuals who had vowed to bring a revolution in the country in the 1970s. Sharif also claimed that inequitable and unjust distribution of resources is responsible for the present economic downturn in Pakistan. "Where have those left-wing revolutionaries gone?" The Daily Times quoted Sharif, as saying. According to a leading daily in Pakistan, the present day situation is worrisome, as the country's Left movement has died down and the government has failed to tackle the Afghan jihad and religious extremism. "Despite many hurdles, the progressive and leftist forces remained steadfast and greatly contributed to our culture and literature. Unfortunately, because of the demonisation of communists, the Left movement in Pakistan died a slow, but painful death," an editorial in the Daily Times said. "The new generation has no idea about socialism and the contribution of the Left. The fault partly lies with the old leftists who failed to leave any accounts of why their movement actually failed," it added. It further stressed that Pakistan has a preponderance of centrist political parties or right-wing parties, and to balance the political system there is a strong need for the revival of the Left. "It is the only way to confront the religious bigots, bring a semblance of normalcy in our society, and revisit the political, economic and social paradigm of the Left for solutions different from a perennially crisis-ridden capitalist system," the editorial said.