The influences ofsocialism and socialist movements in Pakistan have taken many different forms as a counterpart to politicalconservatism, from the groups like The Revolutionary (Inqalabi) Communist Party[1], which is the Pakistani section of theRevolutionary Communist International[2], to Marxist-Leninists group likeCommunist Party through to the reformist electoral project enshrined in the birth of thePakistan People's Party (PPP).
Whilecapitalism has always held its sway, the prevalence of the socialist ideology has nevertheless continued to be found in a number of instances in Pakistan's political past and prominent personalities. Much of the remainingsocialism in Pakistan today accedes to the idea of Islamic left (socialism andcommunism), where the state would be run in a socialist set-up consistent with Islamic political principles, while other proponents demand pure socialism.
The socialist movements inBritish Indian Empire began with theRussian Revolution, and the subsequent Soviet people's immigration toNorth-Western areas into territory (now Pakistan) held byBritish Empire, in 1922-27.[3] The British authorities were terrified after revealing the attempted series of revolts against theBritish Empire, known asPeshawar Conspiracy Cases.[4]
Immediately after theestablishment ofPakistan on 14 August 1947 which was achieved by a political party,Muslim League led byMuhammad Ali Jinnah, the struggle for left-wing orientation began as a failure of themilitary campaign with theRepublic of India.[5] AfterJinnah's death in 1948, the clash ideologies and political disagreements began whenPrime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan consolidated his position more densely.[5] ThePakistan Socialist Party (PSP) was the only socialist party of its time, and was active in bothEast Pakistan andWest Pakistan.[5] TheSocialist Party was generally asecular party which had first opposed the idea of the partition of India.[5] TheSocialist Party found it difficult to compete with the conservatives and other right-wing groups. ThePML was led byPrime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan, who wanted to adopt what was calledIslamic socialism. Another leftist group was theSocialist Party. The Pakistan Socialist Party was politically isolated with little mass. This was despite its strong appeal in rural areas.[5] It had around 1200 members and was a member of theAsian Socialist Conference.[6] TheSocialist Party's liberal programs were met with harsh opposition which the conservatives labeled asKafirs.[5] Dismayed with the results of the war, Prime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan survived a coup conspiracy hatched by the left-wing personalitie, including thearmed forces personnel.[7] In response to the activist left-wing sphere, Prime Minister Ali Khan succeeded in authoring and drafting theObjectives Resolution, in 1950.[8] The house passed it on 12 March 1949, but met with harsh critic even from hisLaw MinisterJogendra Nath Mandal who argued against it.[9]
In contrast, theCommunist Party was more active, populist, and had support from the rural class due to its tough position taken on economic and social issues.[10] The Communist Party quickly grasped its popularity as it espoused the causes of Pakistan's farmers and labourers against the nexus ofzamindars, princely class, and landed gentry.[10] During the 1954 general elections, the Communist Party swiftly gained theexclusive mandate inEast Pakistan and representation inWest Pakistan; earlier in 1950, theCommunist Party played a major role inlabour strikes for the support of thelanguage movement.[11] The Communist Party, with support from theAwami League, formed a democratic government in East Pakistan.[11] The class struggle reached its limit when members ofPML and the Communist Party scuffled violently withEast-Pakistani police in 1958.[11] The government responded by dismissing the government of the Communist Party in East Pakistan and arresting ~1,000 members of the Communist Party in West Pakistan, eventually banning the Communist Party there as well.[12]
Uncomfortable with the workings of the democratic system, unruliness in the East Pakistan parliamentary elections, and the threat ofBaloch separatism in West-Pakistan, Bengali PresidentIskandar Ali Mirza issued a proclamation that abolished all political parties in both West and East Pakistan, abrogated thetwo-year-old constitution, and imposed the first martial law in the country on 7 October 1958.[13] The Communist leader,Hassan Nasir, was repeatedly arrested by the police; he died in prison in November 1960.[12]
Aftermartial law in 1958,PresidentAyub Khan abandoned the parliamentary form in favour ofpresidential system– a system called "Basic Democracy."[14] The presidential regime ofAyub Khan is regarded as "Great Decade", in which his presidential programs moved the country from anagrarian economy towards rapidindustrialization in the 1960s.[15] The left in Pakistan faced further complications after theSino-Soviet split in the 1960s, and theCommunist Party had its own factions; one beingPro-Beijing and other beingPro-Moscow.[16]
Despite the positive impact ofindustrialization, the trade unions, working class, peasants, and farmers were socially and economically subdued by the powerful industrial oligarch society who had strong ties with PresidentAyub Khan.[17] In fact, industrial groups completely neglected the work conditions and failed to provide a healthy environment to the workers in the industries.[17] According to the Chief Economist of the Planning Commission, Dr.Mahbub-ul-Haq, by 1968 "22 industrial family groups had come to dominate the economic and financial life-cycle of Pakistan and that they controlled about two-thirds of industrial assets, 80% of banking and 79% of insurance assets in the industrial domain."[17] Further, President Khan'speaceful compromise withIndia in 1965 to end theIndo-Pakistani War created large scale disapproval fromcivil society.[15] The treaty also sparked the resignation ofForeign ministerZulfikar Ali Bhutto, a staunch socialist and nationalist.[14] In early months of 1968, Ayub Khan celebrated what he called a 'Decade of Development', sparking further agitations. That same November, a group of Rawalpindi students were heading back fromLandi Kotal, when they were stopped at a Customs checkpoints nearAttock, and badly roughed up by the police guards of the Customs officials. On returning to Rawalpindi, they staged a protest against the mishandling of police, which police attempted to quell through firing into the crowds, and killing a student.[18] The resultant furore, which began as a student movement, was joined by working-class support, and transformed into the1968 movement in Pakistan which brought socialism on agenda.[19]
After a successful socialist conference inLahore,Punjab, thePakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was founded by the attending socialists, communists, and left-wing philosophers of the country.[20] ThePPP's manifesto called, titled "Islam is our Religion; Democracy is our Politics; Socialism is our Economy; Power Lies with the People", was written byBengali communistJ. A. Rahim, and first issued on 9 December 1967.[20] The manifesto identified the party's ultimate goal, main objective andraison d'etre as being the achievement of anegalitarian and "classless society", which was believed to be attainable only through socialism. It called for "trueequality of citizen's fraternity under the rule of democracy", within "an order of social andeconomic justice.[21] Unlike theSocialist Party, thePeoples Party quickly gained popularity all over the country with its slogan, "Land to the Landless", as the party promised not only to abolish the foundationalfeudalism that had plagued the country, but also to redistribute lands amongst the landless and the peasants.[22] The working class and labour movement quickly flocked to the party, believing it to be a party dedicated to the destruction of capitalism in the country.[22]
Eventually, the socialist-oriented catchphrase "Roti, Kapra aur Makan" (lit. "bread, clothes, and housing"), inspired by Communist leader, V.I Lenin's popular slogan ‘Peace, Land and Bread’ became a nationwide rallying-call for the party.[23][24] By the 1970s, the Pakistan Peoples Party had become the largest and most influential leading socialist and democratic entity in the country. The party published its ideas in its newspapers, such as "Nusrat", "Fatah", and "Mussawat".[25][26]
The 1968 Movement led to the end of Ayub Khan's term, but the suspension of democracy and military control continued under the new PresidentYahya Khan. However, General Khan allowed for the1970 general elections to take place, which brought thePakistan People's Party and theAwami League, in direct competition with each other.[22][27] The election gave the Awami League an absolute majority entirely based inEast Pakistan, while the PPP, led byZulfikar Ali Bhutto, won largely inPunjab andSindh. However,General Yahya Khan, along withZulfikar Ali Bhutto, the leader of thePPP, were against a party from East Pakistan leading the federal government.[28] Thus, General Khan did not seat the Parliament, leading to widespread unrest in East Pakistan, and subsequent military action inEast Pakistan led to abitter war with India, concluding in theseparation of East Pakistan in 1971, and the creation ofBangladesh.[29]
After the war,General Yahya Khan was forced to resign, andZulfikar Ali Bhutto became President in 1972. ThePPP in power espoused a politics ofleft-wing nationalism, calling for national unity and economic prosperity as a means of recovering from the socially and economically catastrophic losses of the1971 war.[22][30] Immediately, anationalization process was initiated by thePeoples Party following a1972 labour unrest.[31] ThePPP's left-wing policies attacked thefeudal system; massive land reforms took place, limiting the amount of land that could be owned, with remaining land divisions being allotted to a large number of poorpeasants, farmers, and landless tenants.[30] Labour rights were upgraded more than ever before; poverty experienced a sharp reduction.[30][32]
Fundamental rights of the citizen, such as access to adequate health and free education, were brought under a renewed focus.[30] Schools, colleges, and universities were nationalized. A large segment of the banking sector, industrial sector (including iron and steel mills), engineering firms, vehicle, food and chemical production industries were also nationalized.[31] The number and strength of trade unions experienced a rise. Rural residents, urban wage earners and landless peasants were to be given ‘material support’ as people of the state.[33] In responding to strong defence program, the PPP launched the clandestineatomic bomb project, promotingliterary activism,industrial developments andscientific awareness in all over the country.[30]
DespitePPP's populism and support, internal strife in the party would cause a schism and split the left-wing sphere. Though, thePPP had won the support from people on the issues of social justice, its economic policies, particularly that of its ad hoc attempts at nationalization,stagflated the country's economy.[23] A number of critics, notably the conservatives and hard-line religious leaders, have however blamed Bhutto's socialist policies for slowing down Pakistan's economic progress, owing to poor productivity and high costs.[23]
The left-wing party,ANP, was in a direct competition with thePPP despite similar ideologies. The debate over aligning withAfghanistan'scommunist party caused a major rift and problems with Afghanistan escalated over theDurand line.[30] TheCommunist Party was also opposing thePPP over its economic programs and its influence limited toKarachi.[30] This eventually led to left-wing parties joining thePNA alliance led by the country's right-wing conservative parties and competing againstPPP ingeneral elections in 1977.[30]
The 1977general elections resulted in first parliamentary victory of Peoples Party. Opposition parties claimed that the election was heavily rigged by the PPP.[34] Tensions mounted and despite an agreement reached between the opposition and PPP, martial law was imposed in the country by Chief of Army Staff GeneralZia-ul-Haq in 1977.[35] In April 1979, Bhutto was hanged in 1977 after a controversial trial, in which he was found guilty of murdering a political opponent.[36] In 1982, his daughter Benazir Bhutto was elected as Peoples Party's chairwomanship.[36] The Peoples Party struggled hard against General Zia-ul-Haq, who was supported by the United States.[36]
The left-wing parties and socialism in the country met with harsh political opposition from the conservativePakistan Muslim League and the hard-line religious blocClergy Coalition. The Soviet Union'sintervention inAfghanistan led to a decline in the popular support of socialism in the country. The ultra-conservativePresidentZia-ul-Haq dealt with socialists and communists mass with harshpolitical oppression.[37]
The seeds of a renewed Marxist politics was planted in 1980 in Netherlands, when a number of leftist Pakistani activists who had fled Pakistan to escape Zia's repression found themselves in Amsterdam in the cold November 1980. The country was ruled byGeneral Zia. These leftist Pakistani activists were Farooq Tariq, Tanvir Gondal (now better known asLal Khan), Muhammed Amjad and Ayub Gorya.[38]
In November 1980, the Struggle group decided to start a monthly Urdu magazine calledJidd-o-jehed جدوجہد orThe Struggle.[38] The Struggle magazine soon developed a cult status among the Pakistani diaspora, and poets likeHabib Jalib,Ahmad Faraz andFaiz Ahmed Faiz started contributing to the magazine by writing revolutionary and anti-dictatorship Urdu for the magazine.[38] In December 1984, the magazine published a poem "Main Baaghi Hoon" میں باغی ہوں, written by Khalid Javaid Jan.[38] The poem became a staple in popular culture due to its revolutionary tone and was used in underground protests as a weapon againstDictator Zia.[39]
The Struggle group continued their activism in exile against military dictatorship in Pakistan and went on to organise a mass funeral forZulfikar Ali Bhutto in front of the Pakistani embassy in Holland with nearly 500 participants. The charged environment also saw participants throw stones at the embassy's windows and Farooq was briefly arrested by Dutch police.[38] Arrests, activism and attempts by Pakistani authorities to get them arrested made them popular with leftist and progressive movements in Europe. They campaigned on worker issues, against racism, immigrant issues and anti-nuclearisation with local left parties.[38]
The group was also in contact with theCommittee for a Workers' International (CWI), a Trotskyist international. In 1986, the Struggle group started working from Pakistani soil when Farooq Tariq andLal Khan returned to Pakistan.[citation needed] The Struggle followed a strategy known asEntryism, a theory that small militant groups should join mainstream workers' parties in order to pull them to the left.[citation needed] The strategy is employed in an attempt to expand influence and was advocated by Trotsky.[40] The Struggle at this stage was the official section ofCWI in Pakistan and thus worked withinPPP.[citation needed]
In the early 1990s, theCommittee for a Workers' International (CWI) split in two over the question ofEntryism.Peter Taaffe, a prominent member of English section of the CWI advocated an "Open Turn", implying the building of an independent organization and an end to "Entryism".[40] Whereas, another faction led byTed Grant wanted to maintain its "entrist" strategy.[40] The Struggle also suffered the split and Farooq Tariq, along with perhaps one dozen Struggle members, followed Peter Taaffe's lead and went on to build an independent political party for workers in Pakistan.[citation needed] The other faction, led byLal Khan, continued with its "entryism" inside the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). They promoted the idea that PPP is a party that has a mass following among the workers and peasants, although its leading layer is composed mainly of bourgeois and feudal elements. The Struggle argues that in Pakistan, as in all other countries, the aim of their Marxist tendency is to win over the workers and peasants.[41]
In November 2012, Farooq Tariq's Labour Party Pakistan, the Awami Party, and Workers Party merged to form theAwami Workers Party (AWP) in an unprecedented effort to build a genuine Left alternative to mainstream political forces in Pakistan. The AWP promotes Left unity and includes members from all Communist tendencies: Trotskyism, Marxist-Leninism, and Maoism.
The Struggle طبقاتی جدوجہد continued their struggle for a Socialist revolution in Pakistan as an official section of the Marxist "International" led byTed Grant. Grant had formed Committee for a Marxist International in various countries, particularly Spain, after splitting with CWI in 1992. At the world congress of Committee for a Marxist International in 2006, the organization was renamedInternational Marxist Tendency (IMT).Lal Khan continues to be the editor of the Struggle magazine and leader of the Struggle طبقاتی جدوجہد group. He also writes articles regularly for theDaily Times.[42] and Dunya[43] The Struggle group has their own publication agency and has published numerous books and leaflets on topics including Marxist ideology, history of Marxist struggle in Pakistan, and various books covering history of Bolshevik revolution. Some of the books are:Partition – Can it be undone?,[44]Pakistan's Other Story – The Revolution of 1968–69,[45] andKashmir: A Revolutionary Way Out.[46] Books in Urdu language include چین کدھر, مذہبی بنیاد پرستی اور انقلابی مارکسزم,[47] whereas translated publications from other language into Urdu include ریاست اور انقلاب از لینن، عورت اور خاندان از ٹراٹسکی، کمیونسٹ مینی فیسٹو از مارکس و اینگلز.[48] The Struggle's trade union front is known asPakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), and multiple other fronts working among Youth, including Unemployed Youth Movement. In 2015, youth and students fronts of the Struggle started a campaign to bring together prominent left-wing students and youth organizations from across the country on a single platform.[49] In December 2015,Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA)[50] was launched in Lahore.
In the first quarter of 2016, The Struggle suffered a split,[51] with the majority leaving theIMT retaining their name as The Struggle, while the minority reorganized asLal Salam لال سلام. Lal Salam is the official Pakistani section of the IMT.[52]
Following the split ofCommittee for a Workers' International (CWI), a Trotskyist international, The Struggle, also suffered a split and Farooq Tariq, along with perhaps one dozen Struggle members, and went on to build an independent workers party in Pakistan.[53] Farooq Tariq and his comrades announced the formation of Labour Party Pakistan in 1997.
In November 2012, Farooq Tariq's Labour Party Pakistan, the Awami Party, and Workers Party merged to form theAwami Workers Party (AWP) in an unprecedented effort to build a genuine Left alternative to mainstream political forces in Pakistan.[54] The AWP promotes the Left unity and includes members from all Communist tendencies: Trotskyism, Marxist-Leninism, and Maoism.
A huge number of left-wing politicians and intellectuals were thrown in jail to face a trial,Jam Saqi Trial, in the 1980s. Under Zia regime, the socialism itself began to struggle to survive in the country in an intenseanti-Soviet atmosphere. In responding the Zia's oppression, the left-wing parties united in a massive platform known as,Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) which was led by thePPP. TheANP had found support from theSoviet Union as early as in 1983.[55] During the period of 1977-91, theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) started its covert political activities through the Awami National Party, many of its senior leadership served Soviets intermediary and advisers.[55] President Zia's interior secretary,Roedad Khan, later wrote that the MRD regime was able to manipulate this perception to their advantage and prevent the MRD from gaining greater appeal on a nationwide level.[56]
Despite its consolidation, the MRD suffered many set backs because of its Pro-Leninist stance which was not the "line"[57] of Kremlin at that time.[57]
The events that led thecollapse of the Soviet Union shattered Pakistan's left.[57] It almost disappeared, untilBenazir Bhutto succeeded to unite the scattered leftists mass, which integrated into the PPP, and turned the radical and pro-Soviet leftists into moreSocial democracy with the principles ofdemocratic socialism.[57]
TheMRD alliance could not sustained itself in late 1988 and quickly collapse after thedeath ofPresidentZia-ul-Haq in 1988 which marked its way for peacefulgeneral elections, outlined the return ofPakistan Peoples Party innational power.[56]
Furthermore, the events led to adissolution ofUSSR in 1991 shattered the left in Pakistan. Thebreak-up of the USSR in 1991 also generated hopelessness and desperation in among the communist parties.[58] The left-wing parties almost disappeared untilBenazir Bhutto came to its protection. In opposition against theconservatives,Benazir Bhutto succeeded to unite the scattered leftist groups, which integrated into the PPP, and turned the radical and pro-Soviet leftists towards social democracy with the principles of democratic socialism.[20]
In the 1990s, the left-wing groups, now united underPPP, found their self in a fierce competition withPakistan Muslim League (PML(N)), a centre-right conservative party led byNawaz Sharif.[20] ThePPP and left was in period of counter-revolutionary consciousness in Pakistan, giving birth to the rise of fundamentalism.[58] The political competition with the conservatives, aligning with thePML(N), gave a new life to the left-wing parties to gather around their movement in support for thePPP in 1992. The controversialprivatization of thePakistan Muslim League (N) government in 1992 had collapsed the support for the conservatives.
As a result ofgeneral elections held in 1993, thePPP and the Left came to power again, but only to re-engage in competition with thePakistan Muslim League (N). The power struggle between left and right wing parties damages the economy but, on the other hand, consolidated its position in the country. The left-wing sphere almost split in the 1990s after aparamilitary operation took place inKarachi to remove another leftist party,MQM; the operation was halted in 1995.[59] ThePPP and the leftists put forwarded a program of vintageindustrial nationalization, computer literacy, strong emphasis on the scientific education, awarenesswomen suffrage andrights, and promotion of the principles ofsocial democracy and left-wing nationalism.[20] In response, thePakistan Muslim League and conservatives introducedprivatization, withliberalization, right-wing nationalism, and a strong emphasis on religion and scientific education.[60] By the end of 1996, the controversial death of populist left-wing leader,Murtaza Bhutto, turned out to be a final event that led the dismissal of the left-oriented government ofPPP by its own leftist presidentFarooq Leghari (he was soon ousted from the presidency by the conservatives ofPML(N) in 1997).
In 1997, the Left, sitting inparliamentary opposition, further gained power in effectively paralysed the right-wing parties attempts to pass the more conservative bills to be part of theConstitution.[61] The left successfully pressured thePML(N) to move with a proposal of conducting the country's firstnuclear tests in response toIndia'snuclear tests in 1998.[60] Disturbance incivil-military relations in 1999 led to thedismissal ofcentre-right conservative,PML government. The popular support for thePML(N) andPPP declined, with the fall of socialism and conservatism at once in 2000.PresidentPervez Musharraf called for aThird Way which led to an establishment of centristPML(Q) in 2002 whereas the pro-social democratic and centre-left party, thePTI, also emerged in the arena led by famedsportsmanImran Khan.
As an aftermath of9/11 attacks in theUnited States and the followup ofUS invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, thegeneral elections in 2002 sawliberals coming to national power for the first time in thehistory of the country. Despite Musharraf's attempts to provide better civil administration, the support for President Musharraf lessened and the idea ofThird Way, with theEnlightened Moderation, began to see resistance from the conservative and leftist parties.[62]
In 2002, thePakistan Social Democratic Party was founded but was short lived. After a few months, the party was disbanded in favour ofPPP. In 2003, thePPP staged a large opposition rally against theIraq war and theUnited States.[63] In 2004, the Left projected its power inPeshawar after theCommunist Party staged a massive demonstration against Pervez Musharraf and the United States.[64] The PPP effectively paralysed Pervez Musharraf over the issue ofLFO and the Left subsequently maligned Musharraf's image over the nuclear proliferation issue in the country.[63] Historians of leftist activism noted the fact that theatomic proliferation debriefings had enraged and outraged the leftists andconservatives alike of their "national hero", Dr.Qadeer Khan.[62] After this scandal in 2005–07, theU.S. opposition from the leftist-liberal parties was extremely fierce much more than theconservative parties, effectively sabotaging any U.S. efforts for their economic involvement and maligning the image in the country which contributed in the sharp and recorded rise of theanti-American emotions in the hearts of the Pakistanis.[62]
The Left in Pakistan lost its steering after theassassination ofBenazir Bhutto in 2007, and the armedright-wing insurgency in the country further limited the Left.[65] The populistLawyer's movement, was also influenced by the leftist ideas and prominent leftist leaders, such asAitzaz Ahsan,Ali Ahmad Kurd, andRaza Rabbani, were the front personalities to lead the movement to restore theJudiciary and to ousterPervez Musharraf from the government. In spite of right-wing pressure and accusations ofcorruption, the Left demonstrated its united stand during thegeneral elections held in 2013 under new left-wing leadersRaza Rabbani andAitzaz Ahsan[66]
Though a number of steps were taken in this regard by the government led byAsif Ali Zardari which included but are not limited to, Employees Stock option scheme under which public sector employees were made share holders in their respective departments, free of cost housing scheme was initiated in Sindh under the name of Benazir Bhen Basti, more than 56,000 acres of land was distributed within the peasants, a comprehensive plan for the eradication of poverty was started under the name ofBenazir Income Support Program which is now one of the largest social safety program in Asia. In addition to that a program named as waseela-e-haq was initiated under which 0.3 million rps. each were distributed in between thousands of deserving families so that they can start their own earning. Schemes such as Benazir life insurance scheme was also initiated. Thousands of contractual employees were not only regularized but thousand of other employees were also reinstated. As a result of these steps then President of Pakistan Mr.Asif Ali Zardari was elected as the Vice-President of the Socialist International.
In 2018,Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power withImran Khan as the 22nd Prime Minister. He promised to make Pakistan a welfare state, in accordance with nationalist principles. Some policies of PTI government are in line withSocial Democracy,Pakistani nationalism andPopulism. His policies included: Rule of law, rights for all Pakistanis (esp. for the lower classes), irrespective of caste, colour, religion etc., women empowerment, and a system of merit.
Barabri Party Pakistan has formed and emerged as the mainstream Left-Wing political Party in 2017. Pakistan's famous pop-singer and left-wing political activistJawad Ahmad formed this party along with other left-wing political workers. in general elections 2018, Jawad Ahmad run against Imran Khan, Bilalwal Bhutto Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. In a very short period of time Barabri Party Pakistan became very famous across the county as opposition of all ruling elite parties. In 2024,Barabri Party Pakistan fielded 31 candidates in General Elections, and became the largest party ofLeft in Pakistan.
The left orientation has greatly influenced theliterature, scientific activities, arts, and popular culture. The literary work ofFaiz Ahmad Faiz,Anwar Maqsood,Habib Jalib, Aitzaz Ahsan, andTina Sani, has been instrumental in projecting left-wing ideas in the country. TheLaal (lit.Red) gained much appraisal and popularity for singing socialist political song, which played a crucial role in mobilizing thepeople in support to the reinstatement of theChief JusticeIftikhar Chaudhry in 2007.
In 2012, the scientific work of theorist,Munir Ahmad Khan, was publicly recognized by the Government after posthumously awardingMunir Khan theNishan-e-Imtiaz for his contribution to science as a gesture ofpolitical rehabilitation. The literary work ofTariq Ali has been adopted in playwrights andtheatre and films. His playwright,The Leopard and The Fox, was premiered inNew York in October 2007 and later onKarachi Arts Council in 2010.
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