Abstract

This research paper seeks to trace the development of left ideology among the farmers of district Toba Tek Singh with a special reference to the historic ‘Kisan Conference’. The left wing activism in Pakistan hasn’t been given a due share in the official annals of history due to multiple factors. The foremost factor seemed to be the fear of the egalitarian and humane outlook of the left parties and groups which made the state scary of these outfits since its early days. The barrage of problems in the wake of the blood-soaked partition of the sub-continent of 1947 shattered the initial euphoria of the common people as the dawn they were waiting for was nowhere to be seen. There were despondency and disappointment in the people who lost their dear ones as well as their belongings in the aftermath of the partition. The state of Pakistan wanted to keep a check on the activities of the left-wing workers as they launched their activities for the betterment of the common people of Pakistan right after 1947. Many important leaders were arrested and put behind the bars without any charges and in the wake of the mysterious Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case of 1951 the Communist Party of Pakistan was banned and a crackdown was unleashed against its workers across the country. But despite the gigantic odds and gargantuan obstacles, left workers didn’t give in as they continued their activities while remaining under the ground to escape arrests and other dictatorial tactics. Not only the urban workers and laborers but peasantry also waged an incessant struggle against landlordism and their highhandedness in Pakistan.