Women Democratic Front (WDF)
English name in Urdu script:
ویمن ڈیموکریٹک فرنٹ
Formation2018
TypeWomen's organization
FocusSocialist Feminism, supports women for healing from oppression
Location
General Secretary
Alya Bakhshal
President
Ismat Shahjahan[1]
Websitewdfpk.org//

Women Democratic Front (WDF) is an independent socialist-feminist organization based in Pakistan. It was founded in the federal capital Islamabad on March 8, 2018,[2] by hundreds of delegates from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[1]

WDF aims to unite women across the country to build a socialist feminist[3] movement to transform the International Women's Day celebration in Pakistan into real means of action.[1] The manifesto and constitution of WDF strives to a broad-based struggle against capitalism, patriarchy, religious fascism, national oppression and Pakistan's authoritarian political system.[4]

The Front was inaugurated on International Women's Day, 2018,[5] when a large number of students, working women, intellectuals and political activists gathered for Aurat Azadi March, 2018.

Background

WDF is a women's organization based in Pakistan which aims to build an organic socialist-feminist mass resistance movement by bringing together struggles of working-class women (doing mental or physical labour) from rural and urban areas. WDF adopts democratic and peaceful and means of resistance.[6]

Foundation

WDF was formally established as a resistance movement on International Women's Day International Working on March 8, 2018, in Islamabad at a foundation congress by delegates from provincial units which were functional since 2014.[7] The congress laid the foundation of Aurat Azadi March (Women's Freedom March) in Pakistan.[8]

Ideology

WDF considers violence, discrimination and patriarchal oppression as part of overall oppression and exploitation of the masses in Pakistan on the basis of class, gender and nation – pillars of capitalism, imperialism, feudalism and religious extremism. WDf is committed to continue its struggle until the women's right to life, their emancipation from all forms of oppression, progress and peace; and to establish people's democracy in Pakistan. Their ideology is described by socialist-feminism and history of women's political struggles.[9]

Organizational structure

WDF is a federal organization with country-wide presence as four national units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab/Islamabad; Baluchistan and a federal unit. WDF also aims to make units in the disputed territories of Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir to organize women of these areas making them part of the movement.[10]

WDF has following intertwined elected structures:

  • Congress:[11] a political structure for political and ideological decision making
  • Council: an organizational structure consisting of a secretariat called the "Cabinet" for implementing decisions for day-to-day affairs

These structures exist at three levels of district, federal and provincial/national levels.

Leadership

The Federal Cabinet of WDF comprises five members:

President: Ismat Shahjahan[8]

General Secretary: Alya Bakhshal[12]

Secretary Information and Publishing: Tooba Syed[4]

Secretary Education and Art: Shahzadi Hussain[10]

Secretary Finance: Lubna Kifayat

Jalila Haider, one of the provincial president of WDF,[10][13] from Quetta, Balochistan was named in the 100 Women (BBC) in 2019 which is a list about inspiring and influential women compiled by BBC[14][15]

Nargis Afsheen Khattak (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of WDF)[16]

Citations/Sources

This article was created during ‘WikiGap’[17] event, in Islamabad, Pakistan on 11,12 October 2019, organized by Swedish Embassy.[18][19][20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Women's Democratic Front launched to build a vibrant, socialist and a feminist movement". Daily Times. 9 March 2018.
  2. ↑ Ali, Hasan (28 September 2021). "Pakistani Women Are Leading the Struggle for Human Rights".
  3. ↑ She Who Struggles.
  4. 1 2 "WDF demands to repeal ban on media coverage of KP's girls' schools | Pakistan Today". www.pakistantoday.com.pk.
  5. ↑ "Reflection of increasing awareness, acceptance of women's rights". www.thenews.com.pk.
  6. ↑ "Women Democratic Front to be launched on March 8". Awami Workers Party, Pakistan. 14 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "What made Aurat March possible? | Dialogue | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk.
  8. 1 2 "Pakistan – Aurat Azadi March: WDF launched with a pledge to fight patriarchy, social injustice and violence - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières". www.europe-solidaire.org.
  9. ↑ "'State policies, laws discriminatory towards women'". Business Recorder. 9 March 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "Leadership". Women Democratic Front.
  11. ↑ Correspondent, The Newspaper's Staff (12 November 2023). "'Women congress' decries patriarchal laws, forced conversion". DAWN.COM.
  12. ↑ "'Liberal feminism not enough to address social oppression women face' | ePaper | DAWN.COM". epaper.dawn.com.
  13. ↑ "Azaranica: Women Democratic Front's Jalila Haider announced indefinite hunger strike against the on-going target killings of Hazaras in Quetta". Azaranica. 28 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019.
  15. ↑ "Hazara woman from Pakistan named in BBC's 100 Women of 2019". www.geo.tv.
  16. ↑ "K-P women lament lack of rights". The Express Tribune. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "WikiGap Challenge - Meta". meta.wikimedia.org.
  18. ↑ Shahid, Jamal (13 October 2019). "Volunteers gather to add information online about Pakistani women". DAWN.COM.
  19. ↑ "'WikiGap' event by Swedish Embassy puts more Pakistani women on Wikipedia". Islamabad Scene. 13 October 2019.
  20. ↑ "Content added to Wikipedia about Pakistani women". www.thenews.com.pk.
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