Pakistani student movements: resurgences, geographic variations, and political party relationships

• In Event: Youth Movements, Political Parties, and State Interactions: Comparative Insights from South Asia and Latin America

Proposal

In 2018 Pakistan saw a resurgence of youth movements across the country. In the peripheral provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), new movements emerged challenging their colonial relationship with the state while in the metropolitan centers student and feminist movement shook the whole country. All of these movements have a different set of demands from the state. In Balochistan, the movement against enforced disappearances is led by young women which has gained far more attention recently with their tactics of marching to the capital and staging sit-ins. In KPK, the anti-war Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) is led by young people who oppose both islamic fundamentalist Taliban as well as state while challenging the decade old colonial relationship with the state and American Imperialism. Whereas in metropolitan Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad student movement and feminist movement are demanding the democratization of campuses and an end to all kinds of discrimination on the basis of gender. Despite all of these movements, Pakistani mainstream politics is completely absent of discourse on these movements and their demands. There are two countries; one of mainstream ‘democracy’ and political parties while the other of all of these movements. Despite a huge chunk of people supporting these movements, any progressive party is rarely seen in the parliament.
The movements in peripheries namely Baloch Yakjehti Committee and PTM have completely and explicitly rejected parliamentary politics. However, both student and feminist movements in the metropolitan cities have more complicated relationships with the parties. This paper explores the relationship of these movements with the political parties. Why is it that the youth movements in peripheries do not believe in parliamentary politics? It examines reasons that student and feminist movements in metropolitan cities want to engage with parliamentary politics or not. The analysis also enables reevaluating the relationship between the movement and party in the 21st century.

Author

• Muhammad Salman Sikandar, UMass Amherst