Abstract
The movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) was launched against the then military dictatorship in Pakistan in the 1980s. This paper is an attempt to present a historical sketch of the movement and also to discuss the role of the Left in that movement. The study considers those political parties as ‘Left’ which were following Socialist/Communist ideology, based in Sindh, province of Pakistan, specifically Awami Tehrik, a Marxist-Leninist-Moist party, and the Communist Party of Pakistan. This research is based on relevant literature, especially jail diaries and conducting interviews with victims of Communist Case registered by then military regime against communist leaders. The research addresses the events and mass movements launched by the Left in order to strengthen the movement for the restoration of democracy. Moreover, this paper shows how the Left converted a movement for the restoration of democracy into a great mass movement against the then military dictatorship. Key Words: Communist case, democracy, left, military dictatorship, movement for restoration of democracy, Pakistan, Sindh.
Highlights
The movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) was one of the very famous movements against the military dictatorship led by the political leadership of Sindh province of Pakistan
This study mainly focuses on the role of the political Left, those political parties whose party manifestoes were based on Communist/Socialist lines, like Awami Tehrik, a MarxistLeninist-Maoist Party, and the Communist Party of Pakistan, in launching and organizing the movement, because rightwing and ethno-nationalist parties played a role, it was Left of Sindh that by mobilizing masses of the province against ruthless military dictatorship, converted a bourgeois-democratic movement into a mass movement
Allegations against captivities of Jam Saqi Case were not proved in military court and they were released from jail on 27 July 1984 (Abro, 2014, p. 251). In this whole debate, it is very clear that it was Left in the shape of the Communist Party and Awami Tehrik, because of the role played by the Left, it became possible to attract masses and people of different walks of life to participate in the movement, the Movement for Restoration of Democracy
Summary
The movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) was one of the very famous movements against the military dictatorship led by the political leadership of Sindh province of Pakistan. Even the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA), which was created in order to counter the Bhutto government, fully supported Zia-ul-Haq during his military coup; they came against the Zia regime later on.
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