ThePakistan People's Party (PPP)[a] is aPakistani political party with acentre-left toleftist political position and ademocratic socialist ideology. It is one of the three major mainstreampolitical parties alongside thePakistan Muslim League (N) and thePakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. It currently holds the most seats in theSenate, and second-most in theNational Assembly; alongside leading amajoritarian government inSindh and acoalition government inBalochistan.
Founded in1967 inLahore, when a number of prominentleft-wing politicians in the country joined hands against the presidency ofAyub Khan, under the leadership ofZulfikar Ali Bhutto. It is a member of theSocialist International.[20] The PPP's platform issocialist,liberal-progressive, and its stated priorities continue to include transforming Pakistan into asocial-democratic state,[21] promotingegalitarian values, establishingsocial justice, and maintaining a strongmilitary.[22]
Since its foundation in 1967, it has been a major centre-left populist in the country and the party's leadership has beendominated by the members of theBhutto-Zardari family with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari its chairman andAsif Ali Zardari as the president.[23][24] Although, its power of center lies inSindh[25] andBalochistan,[25] the party has beenelected into leading the executive on five separate occasions (1970,1977,1988,1993 and2008), while on four occasions (1990,1997,2002 and2013) it emerged as the largest opposition party.
In the 20th century, the party dominated thenation's politics and thetwo-party system in rival with the conservativePakistan Muslim League (N) andPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf while opposing thestatus quo policies in the country. In2013, the party struggled to appeal its political narrative in the country, and, for the first time in its history, the party failed to secure its position to become majoritarian or in opposition in2018 and in2024.[26][27][28] In foreign policy, the party supportsliberal internationalism while advocating for stronger ties with the United Kingdom, China, and Russia.
On 30 November 1967,Meraj Muhammad, a devotedcommunist, was able to gather left-wing leaders in the residency of the Dr.Mubashir Hassan inLahore, Punjab, that included the public intellectuals, J. A. Rahim,Ghulam Mustafa,A. H. Pirzada,Hayat Sherpao, andS. M. Rashid who were the founding members of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and announced the establishment on 1 December 1967.[29] The convention electedZulfikar Ali Bhutto as its first chairman when the latter was unable to challenge the leadership of theNational Awami Party (NAP) fromWali Khan in 1966.[30][31]
Its manifesto, titledIslam is our Religion; Democracy is our Politics; Socialism is our Economy; Power Lies with the People was written byBengalicommunistJ. A. Rahim, and published on 9 December 1967.[9] The document, which was viewed as "Marxist", declared that "Only socialism, which creates equal opportunities for all, protects [people] from exploitation, removes the barriers of class distinction, and is capable of establishing economic and social justice. Socialism is the highest expression of democracy and its logical fulfillment".[32]
Despite controversially winning thepresidential elections held in 1965, PresidentAyub Khan was widely disapproved for his economic policies that many saw as the distribution of wealth to the capitalist elite at the expense of ordinary people, evidenced by the drastic increase in income inequality and poverty.[33] The economy suffered when Ayub Khan's administration entered in thewar with India in 1965 which ended up in a compromise facilitated by the formerSoviet Union.[34] In public circles, the ceasefire was widely disapproved with foreign ministerZulfikar Ali Bhutto went on to accuse Ayub Khan of "losing the war on the negotiating table", which led to his dismissal by Ayub Khan while he fiercely defended the peace agreement and called it in the best interest of the people.[35][36][37]
Massive protests and strikes ensued against Ayub Khan, who responded by outlawing the political gatherings in the country.[38][9] On 5 February 1966,Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced hisprogram of regional autonomy forEast Bengal at a news conference.[37]
According to Philip E. Jones, the Peoples Party had three main ideological camps:Marxists,Islamic socialists and thelanded elite.[39] In 1968, Ayub Khan celebrated his government's "Decade of Development" which was widely disapproved of when the demonstrations erupted all over the country.[clarification needed][40] In the same year, spontaneous students' movements erupted throughout the country, largely due to unemployment and economic hardship which saw the beginning of thestudent movements in the country. AT the same time, ideological differences emerged within the NAP, which led to a major split between thepro-Russian andpro-Chinesefactions.[31] The pro-Russian faction, led byWali Khan in West, proposed a parliamentary route to power, whereas the pro-Chinese faction led byMoulana Bhashani in East advocated for apeasant revolution to overthrow Khan's administration.[31] The vacuum on the left generated by the disunity of the National Awami Party was effectively filled by the Pakistan Peoples Party as a united front of opposition to Ayub Khan.[41]
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, being shrewder in sensing the mood of the mass movement, had embarked upon the 'need for socialism' and other radical slogans. This PPP programme connected with the masses' moods, aspirations and sentiments; the PPP became the largest party of the masses in the history of Pakistan, almost overnight. The first activists and cadres who gave the PPP a foothold and standing were from the different Maoist groups and other scattered left activists. These groups were disillusioned and frustrated by the traditional Stalinist leadership of the left.[41]
In 1968, Pakistan Peoples Party then launched and driven the massive public-relations and membership program, beginning in thePunjab province.[42] The program directly targeted the country's poverty-stricken masses in rural areas with the left-wing oriented slogans "Land to the Landless" proved to be popular amongst the peasants and workforce, as the party promised not only to abolish thefeudalism, but also to redistribute land.: 159–160 [43] The working-classes quickly flocked to the new party, believing it to be a party dedicated to the destruction of capitalism in the country.[44] The university students and professors who often bore the brunt ofAyub Khan's presidency during his decade-long rule were promised a better future with better educational and career opportunities.[45] Many other members of society who had felt stifled and repressed by the press-control and heavy censorship practised by the authoritarian Ayub Khan administration also joined the new party, whose manifesto also attracted the country's numerous minorities.[46]
Themassive demonstration and public protests eventually led Ayub Khan to resign from the presidency on 25 March 1969 by inviting hisarmy commander GeneralYahya Khan to take-over the government.[9] President Yahya Khan imposed themartial law in the country with a promised to hold general elections within two years.[9]
On 31 March 1970, the Yahya administration enacted thelegal framework, which was seen as the path for future constitution but also restored the provincial autonomy in the country, ideology, and aimed for establishing a unicameral legislature as the framework also called for general elections in 1970.[47] In response, the Peoples Party decided to hold its national conference that was held inHala, Sindh between 1–3 July 1970.[48] At this conference, there were two different opinions on participating in theupcoming general election with some hardliners arguing for boycotting the elections but rather adopt methods of revolutionary insurrection to take power, whereas others emphasized the importance of partaking inparliamentary democracy.[49] In the end, the decision to participate in the elections was taken.[49]
On 4 January 1970, Bhutto officially launched his electoral campaign by addressing a public meeting atNishtar Park inKarachi and then leading a campaign inLiaquat Garden in Rawalpindi and public speaking in parts of theKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[50][51] The party published its ideology in newspapers such asNusrat,Fatah, andMussawat.[52] The results of thegeneral elections in 1970 showed that the Peoples Party won most of the seats in thefour provinces shared together with the pro-RussianNational Awami Party (NAP) and the conservativePakistan Muslim League.[53] The Peoples Party, in east, struggled to appeal its political narrative due to strong ethnic sentiments and against theidentity politics led by theAwami League, which also failed to make any breakthrough or win any seats in westernfour provinces.[51] Data published by theElection Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which showed that theAwami League had a clear mandate when it secured 160 seats out of the total 300 seats in theNational Assembly, whereas the Peoples Party came second with 81 seats.[22]
The Pakistan Peoples Party questioned the results and contested Awami League's mandate to form the central government as Awami League had failed to win won a single seat.[54] To break the impasse, Bhutto proposed the continuation of theOne Unit program, with two separate prime ministers for governing the wings.[54] This proposal was rejected bySheikh Mujibur Rahman who emphasized the implementation ofSix Points for a morefederal Pakistan; this proposal was rejected by Bhutto.[54] On 3 March 1971, the two leaders, along with President General Yahya Khan, met inDacca to try and resolve the constitutional crisis which ended up in bitter arguments on both sides. With Mujib calling for the nationwide strike, Bhutto, who feared a civil war, proposed to form a coalition with Rehman as Prime Minister and Bhutto as President, which was agreed upon by both sides.[54]
This proposal was never made public when President Yaya Khan authorized the wide-range military operations in East and placing both Bhutto and Rehman on arrest orders inCentral Jail Adiala.[9][53] The news of arrest of Rehman eventually led to theliberation war and followed by theIndian intervention inEast Bengal, cementing the defeat of thePakistan Armed Forces in East and ceasefire in western front, and theindependence of Bangladesh.[55]
The news of Yahya administration conceding to the surrender afterIndian invasion in east sparked the spontaneous protests against the military and President Yahya Khan who ultimately resigned and handed over the control of the administration to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on 20 December 1971.[57] The party assumed the control what remained of Pakistan— the nation was completely isolated, angered, and demoralized.[57] After becoming president, Bhutto in his first statement to foreign media correspondents said:
Let us forget the past. We have made terrible mistakes and Pakistan is in a mess—— the worst crisis in our history. But we have been given a terrible bashing by theWestern press and I ask you now to please get off our backs while we put our house in order.
In a televised media, the People's Party under Bhutto vowed to build a new Pakistan.[58] On 2 January 1972, the People's Party announced a policy measure program of nationalization of industrial sector, including iron and steel, heavy engineering firms, petrochemicals, cement and public utilities.[59] A new labor policy was announced increasing the power of trade unions.[58] Despite the core of the leadership of the party came from feudal background, the People's Party announced reforms limiting land ownership and the government take-over of more than a million acres to distribute to landless peasants.[58]
More than 2,000 civil servants were dismissed on charges of corruption and those who protested against the policies.[59] On foreign front, People's Party supported President Bhutto of negotiating the return of more than 93,000 prisoners of war and settlement withIndia that brought the areas occupied by India under the management of Pakistani government.[58] Development of thenuclear weapons program also took place under the Bhutto's administration as part of the defense strategy to prevent foreign invasions on 20 January 1972.[60][61] In 1972, the People's Party had to address thelabor unrest when the steel workers intensified their demands and the whole country engulfed with periodic lockouts and encirclement of industries.[62] Among them notable struggles were the emergence of a worker-led court under Abdur Rehman inKot Lakhpat.[63]
In 1973, the People's Party spearheaded the writings and the framework of theConstitution that placed the country's political structure towards theparliamentary democracy.[61] In the Peoples Party's first budget of 1972–73, the healthcare and education were nationalized, with a record 42.3 percent of the total budget being allocated for the affordable healthcare and education program.[64]
On 10 April 1973, the People's Party spearheaded the efforts to promulgated theConstitution which was approved by theNational Assembly and theSenate, and it came into effect from 14 August 1973, the day Bhutto elected as thePrime Minister of Pakistan.[65] The People's Party initiated education reforms that expanded the school network to slums and small villages, creating basic health facilities, land reforms and housing schemes.[66] However, these programs were affected by theglobal recession, fueled by theoil crises, and the failure of reforms resulted into rising inflation in 1974.[41] Theletter of credit of Pakistan was rejected byInternational Monetary Fund andWorld Bank and a massive capital flight was seen from the country toEastern Europe.[67] Dr Mubashar Hassan, then-finance minister under Bhutto's administration wrote in a note to core of the leadership of the People's Party:
"We have been in office for more than six months. Many decisions have been taken but a growing implementation gap is becoming visible. Once the implementation gap sets in, the decline begins. We came to abolish the abominable status quo but the status quo is very much present..."[67]
On the foreign policy, the People's Party moved towards building closer ties with thePeople's Republic of China, with Bhutto successfully negotiating an aid package worth $300 million for Pakistan and also writing off loans amounting to over $110 million.[68]
In 1975–76, the serious issues began to emerge within the party's ranks, when Bhutto decided to utilize the state machinery to keep an eye on the activities of thePakistan National Alliance– a rightwing conservative alliance led by thePakistan Muslim League.[69] The People's Party direction was geared towards centre-left when leftwing intellectuals – such asMalik Mirage, a law minister under Bhutto's administration,Mubashir Hassan, finance minister in Bhutto's administration– were asked to resign from their respective assignments.[69] In September 1974, under pressure from religious organizations, the People's Party agreed on drafting and passing theconstitutional amendment declaring theAhmadiyya community to benon-Muslim.[70] In 1976, the People's Party supported the authorization of themilitary operation in theBalochistan and dismissed the key ally, theNational Awami Party, government by imposing the governor's rule in the province as a wider policy to fight against the feudalism in the province.[69]
In 1977, the Pakistan People's Party led by Bhutto secured the landslide victory ingeneral election over the conservativeNational Alliance but the oppositionrefused and denied the election results.[71] Massive demonstration and protests broke out in the conservative strongholds of the country that forced the party to negotiate with the opposition and offered to hold another set of elections, also in 1977.[72] although, in 1974, he had banned alcohol.[72][73] Any attempts by the party to settle the issue with the opposition failed which led to GeneralMuhammad Zia-ul-Haq, thearmy chief at that time, imposed amartial law to ensure security in the country in 1977.[74]
From 1979—88, the People's Party was a target of the variouscounterintelligence operations and was a proponent of organizing and leading theMovement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) under its elected chairpersonBenazir Bhutto.[71]
The Peoples Party spearheaded thepro-democratic movement in the country under Benazir Bhutto's direction against the martial law and boycotted thegeneral elections in 1985.[53]
After thedeath of General Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, the People's Party returned and assumed the control of the executive government after voted in majority during thegeneral elections, withBenazir Bhutto becoming the first femalehead of government in theMuslim world.[75] The issues relating to the economic recession, national security, industrial nationalization, and administration guidance that differs from the PresidentIshaq Khan, eventually led to the dismissal of the People's Party's government in 1990.[75] The part lost thegeneral election in 1990, which was said and later proved in court inquiries to be heavily rigged in favor of conservative alliance led by Fida Mohammad.[75] In 2012, theSupreme Court of Pakistan declared this election "rigged in favor" of thePakistan Muslim League.[76]
In 1993, the People's Party secured the majority in thegeneral election, forming an unusual coalition with fundamentalistJUI(F) and theAwami National Party (ANP). The party dominated the two-party system facing the rivalPakistan Muslim League (N) on a conservative and status quo platform. The party under Benazir Bhutto faced the issues relating to the economic recession, war in Afghanistan on the western front, and identity politics in Karachi, Sindh. The party also suffered with internal factions mainly in three parliamentary groups: theBhuttoists, theParliamentarians and theSherpaoists, with Bhuttoism becoming the most influential and powerful inSindh and Balochistan.[25][77] Internal opposition and disapproval of Asif Zardari and Benazir Bhutto's policies by her brotherMurtaza Bhutto created a rift in their relations. Murtaza Bhutto was assassinated in a police shootout with theSindh Police in 1996, with many pointing the finger of blame at his sister and her husband.[77]
The assassination of Bhutto in a police shootout damaged the credibility of the party in its stronghold and was later dismissed by dismissed by the party's own electedPresidentFarooq Leghari in September 1996.[78][79] From 1996–2006, the People's Party worked on strengthening its vote bank in the rural areas of Sindh and eventually reached an understanding with the Pakistan Muslim League(N) in leading theAlliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) that effectively opposed the military-backed government of President Pervez Musharraf.[80]
In 2007, the party faced the leadership crises when its presiding leader,Benazir Bhutto, wasassassinated on 27 December 2007 but the party won the majority to control the executive after thegeneral elections held in 2008. Initiallyreaching a compromise with its rivalPakistan Muslim League (N), the party spearheaded theefforts to impeach President Pervez Musharraf who later resigned. During this time, the party nominatedYousaf Raza Gillani for the premiership and Asif Ali Zardari for the presidency while forming a coalition alliance withPakistan Muslim League (Q) in Punjab,Awami National Party inKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa,JUI(F) inBalochistan andMuttahida Qaumi Movement in Sindh. While on other hand, the Peoples Party claimed the exclusive mandate inGilgit-Baltistan andKashmir.
In 2010, President Zardari voluntarily transferred the powers and control of the executivePrime Minister's Secretariat which was ratified through the passage of theeighteenth amendment to the constitution as part of country's road toparliamentary democracy. In growing criticism on tackling foreign-bound terrorism from west, corruption, energy crises, and economic stagflation, the party struggled to project its overall political narratives but managed to maintain a large vote bank in deeperSindh, Balochistan, and southern skirts ofPunjab.[81]
According toThe Economist in 2017, the party "has become irrelevant outside their home province of Sindh."[82]
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 6,148,923 | 18.63% | 86 / 313 | New | Government |
| 1977 | 10,093,868 | 59.74% | 171 / 216 |  85 | Martial law in effect | |
| 1985 | Nusrat Bhutto | – | Non-participant | – | – | |
| 1988 | Benazir Bhutto | 7,546,561 | 37.66% | 93 / 237 | 93 | Government |
| 1990 | 7,796,238 | 36.02% | 44 / 217 |  49 | Opposition | |
| 1993 | 7,578,635 | 37.00% | 89 / 217 | 45 | Government | |
| 1997 | 4,152,209 | 21.29% | 18 / 217 | 71 | Opposition | |
| 2002 | Ameen Faheem | 7,616,033 | 26.05% | 79 / 342 | 61 | Opposition |
| 2008 | Benazir Bhutto (assassinated whilst campaigning) Asif Ali Zardari | 10,666,548 | 30.77% | 116 / 342 | 37 | Government |
| 2013 | Asif Ali Zardari | 6,911,218 | 15.23% | 42 / 342 | 74 | Opposition |
| 2018 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 6,924,356 | 13.03% | 54 / 342 | 12 | Opposition (till 11 April 2022) |
| Coalition partner (from 11 April 2022) | ||||||
| 2024 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 8,244,944 | 13.92% | 68 / 312 | 14 | Coalition partner |
| Election | Party chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ameen Faheem | - | - | 5 / 104 | - | Opposition |
| 2009 | Asif Ali Zardari | - | - | 27 / 104 | 22 | Government |
| 2012 | - | - | 41 / 104 | 14 | Government | |
| 2015 | - | - | 27 / 104 | 14 | Opposition | |
| 2018 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | - | - | 21 / 104 | 6 | Opposition |
| 2021 | - | - | 21 / 100 | - | Opposition / Government |
| Election | Party chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ameen Faheem | 2,115,472 | 35.05% | 67 / 168 | - | Opposition |
| 2008 | Benazir Bhutto (assassinated whilst campaigning) Asif Ali Zardari | 3,597,275 | 41.94% | 92 / 168 | 25 | Government |
| 2013 | Asif Ali Zardari | 3,209,686 | 32.63% | 91 / 168 | 1 | Government |
| 2018 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 3,853,081 | 40.03% | 99 / 168 | 8 | Government |
| 2024 | TBD | TBD | 0 / 168 | 15 | Opposition |
| Election | Party chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Ameen Faheem | 4,145,106 | 22.48% | 79 / 371 | − | Opposition |
| 2008 | Benazir Bhutto (assassinated whilst campaigning) Asif Ali Zardari | 5,565,743 | 26.89% | 103 / 371 | 24 | Coalition Government * LaterOpposition |
| 2013 | Asif Ali Zardari | 2,464,812 | 8.84% | 8 / 371 | 99 | Opposition |
| 2018 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 1,781,330 | 5.38% | 7 / 371 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2024 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | TBD | TBD | 17 / 371 | 10 | Opposition |
| ||||||
| Election | Party chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002(NWFP) | Ameen Faheem | 270,468 | 9% | 8 / 99 | 8 | Opposition |
| 2008(NWFP) | Benazir Bhutto (assassinated whilst campaigning) Asif Ali Zardari | 563,057 | 16.49% | 17 / 99 | 9 | Coalition Government |
| 2013 | Asif Ali Zardari | 473,358 | 8.82% | 3 / 99 | 14 | Opposition |
| 2018 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 596,816 | 9.04% | 3 / 99 | − | Opposition |
| 2024 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | TBD | TBD | 11 / 124 | 8 | Opposition |
| Election | Party Chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Asif Ali Zardari | - | - | 21 / 49 | - | Government |
| 2016 | 352,742 | 21.2% | 3 / 49 | 18 | Opposition | |
| 2021 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | 349,895 | 18.28% | 11 / 53 | 8 | Opposition |
| Election | Party Chairperson | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Asif Ali Zardari | 72,851 | 33.08% | 20 / 33 | 20 | Government |
| 2015 | 69,216 | 18.26% | 1 / 33 | 19 | Opposition | |
| 2020 | Bilawal Bhutto Zardari | - | - | 5 / 33 | 4 | Opposition |
The first socialist and democratic convention attended by the leading 67 left-wing intellectuals who appointed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as the first and founding chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party. After his execution, the senior party leadership handed over the chairmanship of the party to his wife,Nusrat Bhutto, and held the position into the 1980s.[83] In 1982, Nusrat Bhutto, ill with cancer, was given permission to leave Pakistan for medical treatment and remained abroad for several years. At that point her daughter,Benazir Bhutto, became acting head of the party while Nusrat technically remained its chairman[83] and was referred to as such as late as September 1983.[84] By January 1984, Benazir was being referred to as the party's chairman and subsequently secured the legal appointment by the senior leadership ofCentral Executive Committee at the convention held in 1984.[85] She had been elected chairperson for life,[80] which she remained until her assassination on 27 December 2007. Her nineteen-year-old son,Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his fatherAsif Ali Zardari were appointed party co-chairmen after assassination ofBenazir Bhutto on 30 December 2007.[86]
| No. | Presidents | Year | Duration | Presidential elections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 1971–1973 | 1 year, 7 months, 25 days | 20 December 1971 |
| 2 | Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry | 1973–1978 | 5 years, 1 month, 3 days | 14 August 1973 |
| 3 | Farooq Leghari | 1993–1997 | 4 years, 1 month, 19 days | 14 November 1993 |
| 4 | Asif Ali Zardari | 2008–2013 | 5 years | 6 September 2008 |
| 2024– | Incumbent | 9 March 2024 |
| No. | Prime ministers | Year | Duration | Elections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | 1973–1977 | 3 years, 10 months, 21 days | – |
| 2 | Benazir Bhutto | 1988–1990; 1993–1996 | 4 years, 8 months, 21 days | 1988,1993 |
| 3 | Yousaf Raza Gillani | 2008–2012 | 4 years, 2 months, 25 days | 2008 |
| 4 | Raja Pervaiz Ashraf | 2012–2013 | 9 months, 2 days, | – |
The Central Executive Committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party of Pakistan serves as party's highest leadership, and apex governing authority, and is primarily responsible for promoting Peoples Party activities, promotion, media campaigning, welfare distribution,public policy andworks. The CEC is the supreme parliamentary body in charge of setting out strategies and positions during and after elections. The CEC is currently chaired byAsif Ali Zardari,[87] assisted by additional vice-chairmen, including all the major office bearers of the party. However, the CEC is focused on election campaigning and organizational strategy during the national parliamentary elections, overseeing the media works, ideological promotion, and the foreign policy. The public works, welfare distribution are partly managed at the municipal unit level up to the federal level, which supervise and give legal authority for such works.
The PPP-Young Organization is a youth-led party organisation that attempts to mobilise the youth for Peoples Party candidates for theYouth Parliament. The group'sTrotskyist-Marxist wing, "The Struggle", which is internationally affiliated withInternational Marxist Tendency (IMT) pursues anentryist strategy by working inside party's student wing, thePeoples Students, a student-outreach organization with the goal of training and engaging the new generation of the Pakistan Peoples Party. The Peoples Party also has an active military-street wing, thePeoples' Aman Committee, controversially affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party.[88]
Nationally, eachprovince and territory has a provisional committee, made up of elected committee members as well as ex-officio committee members who elect its presidents. The local committees often coordinate campaign activities within their jurisdiction, oversee local conventions, and in some cases primaries or caucuses, and may have a role in nominating candidates for elected office under state law. All administration, campaign, and party policies required complete permission from the CEC's co-chairman and the vice-chairmen.
In its inception, the notablecommunists from theCommunist Party andsocialists of the defunctSocialist Party gathered to form the Peoples Party in 1967 by electingZulfikar Ali Bhutto its first chairman.[9] The Pakistan Peoples Party's leftist program remains far more successful and integrated in thecivil society than theCommunist Party.[89]
Since then, the Peoples Party has been a leading proponent ofdemocratic socialism with the mainstream agenda ofsocial democracy, favouring semi-secular and semi-Islamic socialist principles. Historically, the Peoples Party favoured financially stable farmers, industrial labour unions and the middle-class. The Peoples Party rejectedfar-left politics andultra-leftism, supporting unregulated business and finance, andlaissez-fairecapitalism, after which it was no longer widely viewed as a socialist orsocial-democratic party, as its economic policies swung dramatically to the right-wing, embracing economicneoliberalism and unfettered capitalism andprivatisation of publicly owned institutions, favouring partial income taxes.[9]
Despite its democratic-socialist ideas, the Peoples Party never actually allied with theSoviet Union, with theCommunist Party of Pakistan remaining one of its major rivals. The Peoples Party has been criticised by various socialists such as Fahad Rizwan who accused the Peoples Party ofopportunism. Recently, the Peoples Party has adopted privatisation and small-scale nationalisation policies, with centrist economic and socially progressive agendas.[87]
Basic, enshrined principles of PPP include "Islam [as] our Faith. Democracy is our Politics. Socialism is our Economy. All Power to the People".
Relations withChina,Russia,Iran andTurkey, are the central and the strongest proponents of the Peoples Party's foreign policy.[90] UnderZulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan built closer ties with Soviet Union, China, and Iran, but underBenazir Bhutto, the foreign policy was revised after taking shifts to centre-right policies. Earlier in the 1970s, the Peoples Party faced a "secret" cold war with the United States, but then suffered a US-backed coup in 1977.[87] On the other hand,Anti-Americanism among most PPP workers and its student wing grew twofold after Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's execution at the hands of the pro-AmericanZiaul Haq dictatorship, the party's new chairperson, Benazir Bhutto, advised her party to concentrate on the removal of Zia alone.[91] She also adoptedNawaz Sharif's conservative privatisation policies in order to secure funding from the United States and theWorld Bank, but received a harsh opposition from within the party.[87] Throughout the 1980s, the party's credibility was damaged by the United States who "keenly sabotaged" any of its efforts[citation needed] and organizational establishment in the dense areas of country.[92] Although PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he did not want to choose one side in the 21st century China-US strategic competition,[93]Hina Rabbani Khar argues that the instinct to preserve Pakistan's partnership with the United States would ultimately sacrifice the full benefits of the country's "real strategic" partnership with China.[94]
The Pakistan Peoples Party through Zulfikar Ali Bhutto proudly receives all credit for launching theatomic bomb project in 1972,[95][96] public ceremonies are held onYoum-e-Takbir (lit. 'Day of Greatness') to commemorate the political services of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who established the program.
In 1976,Murtaza Bhutto graduated fromHarvard University, Bhutto graduated with his thesis entitled "Modicum of Harmony". His thesis dealt with the spread of nuclear weapons in general, and the implications of India's nuclear weapons on Pakistan in particular. Murtaza went on toChrist Church, Oxford, his father's alma mater, for a three-year course to read for an MLit degree. Bhutto submitted his master thesis, containing a vast argumentative work on Nuclear strategic studies, where he advocated for Pakistan's approach to develop its nuclear deterrence program to counter Indian nuclear program.[97]
Since its establishment, the Peoples Party has produced prolific scientists-turned technocrats, includingFarhatullah Babar,Mubashir Hassan, and the senior academic scientists who played a role in building the atomic bomb. The Peoples Party member's notably provided their public support toAbdul Qadeer Khan who had been forced to attend the military debriefings by GeneralPervez Musharraf in 2004.[96] In August 2012, after years of negligence, the peoples party made its effort to bestowed and awardMunir Ahmad Khan the highest state honor, theNishan-e-Imtiaz, as a gesture of political rehabilitation; the honor was publicly presented by President Asif Ali Zardari in a public ceremony.[98]
In 1995–1996, the Peoples Party under Benazir Bhutto's era openedcomputer literacy centres to provide the public with access to computers and technology.[99] In 1990, they made Pakistan the first Muslim country to launch a satellite,Badr-I. They are also responsible for establishing, nurturing, and funding the missile's programs, such asGhauri andShaheen in the 1990s.[100] As part of the science policy, they established thePakistan Science Foundation in 1973 and helped establish thePakistan Academy of Letters in 1976.[101] In 1996, Benazir Bhutto establishedSZABIST at Karachi to become a leading institution of science and technology and appointed academic Dr.Javaid Laghari as its first president, who later was also elected Senator from Sindh on a technocrat seat and eventually Chairman HEC leading a revolution of reforms in higher education in South Asia.
PPP’s stated objectives include:
Since the 1990s, the Peoples Party has been under intense criticism, both from its own members and the otherleftists in the country, notably due to thecharges of large-scale corruptions. The leading leftist,Nadeem Paracha, has asserted that since 1977, the Peoples Party's manifesto has been transformed into acentre-right platform, despite that during the1977 parliamentary elections, the Peoples Party's manifesto did not mentionsocialism.[102] During the 1973–75, the Peoples Party's radicalultra-left andcommunist wings led byMirage Khalid and theMaoist wings under Khalid Syed were purged by the Peoples Party to ensure the political support of the powerfulSindh's feudal lords andPunjab'slanded elite, with Paracha claiming the Peoples Party has "lost the left".[102]
Leading left-wing journalistMehdi Hasan has remarked that the Peoples Party is "not asecular party",[103] firstly citing its support of declaringAhmadiyya community asnon-Muslims through the second constitutional amendment, secondly for banning the use of liquor,[103] and thirdly for the Peoples Party declaring Friday as a holiday to win the support of religious elements.[103]
Thechairman of PPPBilawal Bhutto Zardari led a convention on 19 September 2014 inMultan,Punjab, where he reportedly quoted: "the [PPP] would take back entireKashmir for his country."[104]
Bhutto emphasized on his last part of the speech: "I will take backKashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan. He pledged to continue supporting Kashmiri freedom struggle morally and diplomatically...(.)".[105]
Since the 1990s, thefactionalism has grown in the party whenMurtaza Bhutto returned to Pakistan.[77] Disagreeing withBenazir andAsif Ali Zardari's political philosophy brewing the party,Murtaza Bhutto split and formed the more powerful yetmore leaning towards left wing faction,Bhuttoist in 1995.[106] Confrontation withBenazir Bhutto in 1999 over the party guidance,Aftab Sherpao splits from the party and forming thePakistan Peoples Party (Sherpaoist)—a more reformist withlibertarian agenda.[107]
Factionalism continued in 2011 when PPP sackedMahmood Qureshi over theRaymond Davis incident inLahore.Qureshi later defected toPTI. Another leftist leader,Malik Ali Khan also resigned from the Peoples Party, saying that he "did not agree with how President Zardari was leading the party particularly with regards to an alliance with centre-rightPML (Q) and theforeign policy."[108]
In 2012, the PPP's powerful leader,Zulfiqar Mirza, quit from the party despite urgings amidst disagreement with Asif Zardari's leadership and policies with regards to dealings with the liberalMQM inSindh. Reasoning with their isolation, the socialist politicians felt that the party had now moved away from the original ideas it was founded on by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1967.[109] In 2014, Labour leader,Safdar Ali Abbasi, formed theWorkers faction amid disagreement with party's fiscal policy.[citation needed]
The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian-Patriots (PPPPP) was launched in Lahore in the year 2002 as a 'forward bloc' that broke away from the PPP to back the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) transforming itself into Pakistan's newest party at that time. The leader of the rebel group wasMakhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat.[110] In January 2017, Former federal minister Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat joined the Pakistan Peoples Party on Monday, more than 14 years after being elected on the PPP ticket in 2002, bringing an end to the PPPPP.[111]
He said that this country, its constitution and democracy are the most dear to the leadership and workers of PPP adding that his Party is firmly committed to the philosophy and manifesto of its founder that Islam is our religion, socialism is our economy, democracy is our politics and the source of power is the people.
Islam is our Faith. Democracy is our Politics. Socialism is our Economy. All Power to the People. Martyrdom Is Our Path.
However, there are the non-religious parties that may not compete in violence but are equally willing to use the popular religious narrative to compete politically. The issues of constituency politics has made the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML–N), or the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) all look alike as far as the religious card is concerned.
... Instead, it has formed postelection coalitions with the center-left Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the center-right PML-N party to enter government. ...
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