(Amended Draft)
Progressive and concerned
citizens felt the need to evolve a network of enlightened intelligentsia and
activists to develop an alternative social democratic platform and facilitate a
real progressive change in society and the state for the betterment of the
people from all the federating units/nationalities of Pakistan. Given the
current ideological and political vacuum, the predominance of an extremist
religious and militarist paradigm and a reactionary narrative, it is time to
come up with a progressive worldview to defend the rights and freedoms of our
people and strive to extricate our country from its current predicaments. The
proposed rainbow platform will strive to present an alternative narrative based
on scientific knowledge and empirical research. The purpose is to change the
status quo through democratic discourse and peaceful means. The Social
Democratic Forum will be democratic, secular/non-communal, federalist,
pluralist, inclusive and a voluntary social collective with no hierarchical
structures. It will solely rely on its own resources.
Principal Concerns:
There are ideological and
security threats from religious extremism, violent sectarianism and terrorism,
in general, to enlightenment, human progress, equality, justice,
liberal-democratic values, rule of law, scientific knowledge, human rights,
women’s rights and minorities’ rights These threats undermine progress, welfare
of the people, federation, democracy and inclusive nationhood.
There are unsustainable national security agendas resulting in an isolationist foreign policy and hostility with neighbors; perpetuating an enemy syndrome.
Neo-liberal economic model (concentration and accumulation of wealth in a few hands at the cost of people) and an exclusionary elitist development model, imperatives of an over-extended national security state and an inverted pyramid like economic growth and marginalization of peripheral regions. The result is poverty, un-employment, unequal regional development and inequality in all its forms.
An authoritarian, centralized nation building, while suppressing and excluding constituent federating units/nationalities, their cultures, languages and identities rooted in historically defined regions. Resistance to effective devolution of power to the grassroots level.
Fragility of democracy, inverse civil-military relations, undemocratic culture, intolerance, intervention of state in matters of faith, the persecution of minorities. There are laws, customs and bigotry that negate fundamental human rights, civil liberties and liberal-democratic values.
The current political economy of resource generation (taxes and other revenues) and allocation of resources favor the privileged while ignoring peoples’ needs of nutrition, education, health and better quality of life. The development of human resources, much needed physical infrastructure covering all regions, protection of environment, conservation of resources and population planning are being neglected. Unbridled profit and rent seeking overrides needs-based, participatory and sustainable growth.
There is suppression of fine arts, performing arts, indigenous cultures and languages, distortion of humanities, syllabus; and degeneration of the education system, in both public and private spheres, most so of madaris.
There is hegemony of an extremist religious ideology and militant nationalism that dominates the national narrative and promotes violence, intolerance, hate-speech and discrimination against minorities.
There is prevalence of patriarchal, tribal and feudal traditions, customs, especially honor codes that cause countless miseries to women while grossly denying their rights as equal human beings.
Lack of mutually beneficial cooperation and connectivity within and among South Asia and Central Asia.
There is a general decline of trade union activities and the role of professional associations disabling them for pursuit of their rights.
An Agenda for Social Democratic Change
There are unsustainable national security agendas resulting in an isolationist foreign policy and hostility with neighbors; perpetuating an enemy syndrome.
Neo-liberal economic model (concentration and accumulation of wealth in a few hands at the cost of people) and an exclusionary elitist development model, imperatives of an over-extended national security state and an inverted pyramid like economic growth and marginalization of peripheral regions. The result is poverty, un-employment, unequal regional development and inequality in all its forms.
An authoritarian, centralized nation building, while suppressing and excluding constituent federating units/nationalities, their cultures, languages and identities rooted in historically defined regions. Resistance to effective devolution of power to the grassroots level.
Fragility of democracy, inverse civil-military relations, undemocratic culture, intolerance, intervention of state in matters of faith, the persecution of minorities. There are laws, customs and bigotry that negate fundamental human rights, civil liberties and liberal-democratic values.
The current political economy of resource generation (taxes and other revenues) and allocation of resources favor the privileged while ignoring peoples’ needs of nutrition, education, health and better quality of life. The development of human resources, much needed physical infrastructure covering all regions, protection of environment, conservation of resources and population planning are being neglected. Unbridled profit and rent seeking overrides needs-based, participatory and sustainable growth.
There is suppression of fine arts, performing arts, indigenous cultures and languages, distortion of humanities, syllabus; and degeneration of the education system, in both public and private spheres, most so of madaris.
There is hegemony of an extremist religious ideology and militant nationalism that dominates the national narrative and promotes violence, intolerance, hate-speech and discrimination against minorities.
There is prevalence of patriarchal, tribal and feudal traditions, customs, especially honor codes that cause countless miseries to women while grossly denying their rights as equal human beings.
Lack of mutually beneficial cooperation and connectivity within and among South Asia and Central Asia.
There is a general decline of trade union activities and the role of professional associations disabling them for pursuit of their rights.
An Agenda for Social Democratic Change
Changing the nature and
character of the state by separating religion from the state.
Transforming Pakistan into a social welfare state by establishing the writ of the people through participatory democracy. All institutions of the state are to be responsible and accountable to the people.
Deepening and consolidating provincial autonomy and devolution of power to the grassroots’ level to empower people through municipal collective governance and village cooperatives.
Pursuing a participatory, inclusive, transformational and sustainable policies and mode of development that includes the working people and the middle strata into the accumulation process and gives priority to the peoples’ needs rather than the dominant elites and their growing wealth. It would have to address the political economy of resource generation from the rich, saving form non-development expenditures and the reallocation of resources to address hunger, malnourishment, illiteracy, poor health, dismal living conditions, gender discrimination, environmental degradation, marginalization of underdeveloped regions and the lack of opportunities for the youth.
Defending and upholding equal rights and equal protection of all citizens regardless of their religion, gender, ethnicity, caste and color.
Preserving and conserving our natural resources and the environment: improving water resources, expanding renewable energy, and focusing on human resource development and the required level of evenly spread physical infrastructure.
Promoting peace, amity and mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthening connectivity with our neighbors and across the regions – South Asia and Central Asia in particular.
Adopting a foreign policy based on “Friendship with All and Enmity with None”.
Ensuring nuclear stability while opposing war, subliminal warfare and the arms race.
Supporting rights-based campaigns; movements of working people, the poor, the disenfranchised and oppressed nationalities/ethnic groups; campaigns for human, civil, women’s and minorities’ rights.
Participating in legal, constitutional and legislative processes to strengthen democracy. Promoting enlightenment, freedom, communal harmony, secularism, equality, justice and social emancipation.
Benefiting from information and scientific and technological revolution and promoting knowledge economy.
What is To be Done?
Transforming Pakistan into a social welfare state by establishing the writ of the people through participatory democracy. All institutions of the state are to be responsible and accountable to the people.
Deepening and consolidating provincial autonomy and devolution of power to the grassroots’ level to empower people through municipal collective governance and village cooperatives.
Pursuing a participatory, inclusive, transformational and sustainable policies and mode of development that includes the working people and the middle strata into the accumulation process and gives priority to the peoples’ needs rather than the dominant elites and their growing wealth. It would have to address the political economy of resource generation from the rich, saving form non-development expenditures and the reallocation of resources to address hunger, malnourishment, illiteracy, poor health, dismal living conditions, gender discrimination, environmental degradation, marginalization of underdeveloped regions and the lack of opportunities for the youth.
Defending and upholding equal rights and equal protection of all citizens regardless of their religion, gender, ethnicity, caste and color.
Preserving and conserving our natural resources and the environment: improving water resources, expanding renewable energy, and focusing on human resource development and the required level of evenly spread physical infrastructure.
Promoting peace, amity and mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthening connectivity with our neighbors and across the regions – South Asia and Central Asia in particular.
Adopting a foreign policy based on “Friendship with All and Enmity with None”.
Ensuring nuclear stability while opposing war, subliminal warfare and the arms race.
Supporting rights-based campaigns; movements of working people, the poor, the disenfranchised and oppressed nationalities/ethnic groups; campaigns for human, civil, women’s and minorities’ rights.
Participating in legal, constitutional and legislative processes to strengthen democracy. Promoting enlightenment, freedom, communal harmony, secularism, equality, justice and social emancipation.
Benefiting from information and scientific and technological revolution and promoting knowledge economy.
What is To be Done?
i. Social Democratic Forum
(SDF) is to be a rainbow coalition of peoples, having variety of ideas, faiths
and social backgrounds, who share SDF’s Concerns and Agenda as outlined above.
ii. SDF’s purpose is to
initiate an informed discourse to evolve a social democratic narrative.
iii. Promote research
through dynamic and inter-disciplinary efforts, where it is needed, and
benefiting from the research that has already been done to serve the interests
and needs of our people and their fullest and all-sided growth.
iv. SDF will engage
peoples’ representatives, trade and professional unions, progressive political
activists, civil society campaigners, women activists, academia, researchers,
students, youth, writers, media practitioners and artists, and lobby with major
stakeholders to pursue its agenda.
v. SDF will use all
intellectual avenues, literary and cultural forums, media, social media,
seminars and peoples campaigns to cultivate an all-embracing commitment to an
enlightened, non-communal (secular), liberal-democratic, federalist and
peaceful Pakistan for an all-sided empowerment of all its peoples without any
discrimination.
vi. SDF will adopt a
bottoms-up approach; starting from local and provincial levels to
representation at the federal level, while promoting collective leadership.
vii. SDF will facilitate
and benefit from various think tanks, research groups, lobbyist groups and
campaign groups for the rights of the people and support all those
organizations and activists who are pursuing similar agendas.
viii.
SDF is a broad-based, inclusive, democratic and plural platform with no
hierarchical structures. It will have consultative mechanisms at various tiers
to run its affairs with a Spokesperson/Coordinator responsible to the relevant
tier of the Forum. The representatives of women and minorities will have
adequate representation at all levels.