Progressive Movements are those aimed at bringing positive change to a country, including political shifts, human rights improvements, and efforts to establish justice and equality in society. It takes a lot of effort and courage to start or move such a movement that favors the people of a country. Progressive movements usually challenge old systems and unfair traditions. They aim to bring positive change to society and set aside the old ways. They work for the improvement of society. Usually, these movements start with a few people, but as time passes, a large group of people joins them.
“History remembers those who spoke up, Not those who stayed silent.”
What progressive was considered back then?
Progressive in earlier times generally meant ideas, actions, or movements that pushed society to move forward as compared to what was normal at that time.
Research Questions:
This journey of my article will explore whether it’s the power of a nation’s ruler or the courage of its people that moves a nation forward.
Before starting, the main difference between the Past/Present Movements is that there are a few defined movements.
The Past Progressive Movements Include:
Women’s Rights movement:
All Pakistan Women Association (APWA) was founded in 1949 by Begum Ra’na Liaqat Ali Khan who was the wife of Pakistan’s first prime Minister. At that time when APWA was founded, Pakistan was only two years old which faced women issues which were invisible in the eyes of the government. Women were left behind in almost everything. They were out of education, unemployment, and political life. It brought about significant changes in society, including the establishment of Emergency Relief Centers, the provision of food shelters and clothing for those in need, and initiatives in education and skill development. However, it focused mainly on urban areas and neglected the needs of rural women. Wealthy and educated women ran it. They also closed some crucial projects when the money ended. It addressed small needs rather than big problems, but it also couldn’t reach women across the country.
Student Activism:
The Democratic Student Federation (DSF) was formed in Karachi in 1950. A group of aware students of colleges and universities founded it. They demanded better education facilities, which later helped to improve colleges, hostels, and even libraries. They asked and appealed to the government to lower their fees. The students brought many other students from different backgrounds to have a unified voice for the youth and compel the government to accept their demands. On the other side, few political parties differed to accept their demands. Mostly, protests would turn into fights with the police. Too much attention to protests caused disturbances in the education of many students. The Democratic Students Federation could not survive alone because of government and political pressure.
Political Movements:
The Anti-Ayub Movement started in 1968 with the support of almost all the people of the nation. It was a nationwide movement aimed at ending the military (Martial Law) rules of General Ayub Khan. The Movement forced Ayub Khan to resign after 11 years of military rule. It brought students, workers, and political parties together to end Ayub Khan’s rule. But it caused rare fights where a large number of protestors were killed and injured. For a long time, protests caused disturbances among local people, and some of the protestors who were against Ayub Khan would even lose their jobs. At that time, there was violence, harassment, and threats to people who, if they went against the military rule, would have to lose their lives first, so most of the people would fear and stay silent. But the Protests gave them their goal. After one year of Ayub Khan’s military rule, he resigned in 1969.
Present Progressive Movements Include:
Aurat March / Women’s March:
It was introduced in 2018 by women right activists, students and civil society groups that demanded gender equality, safety and reforms for women. It raised awareness and highlighted issues like harassments and domestic violence. It empowered women all across the country to speak up for their rights. It represented how women showed courage and bravery, and were also represented on international stages. Unfortunately, some slogans attracted excessive criticism for being against the traditional values like “My Body My Choice,” and “Housework is everyone’s work.” Those women who participated these protests received threats and also experienced violence from the society. As with other Protests, it was also held in big cities; rural women were left behind. Aurat March is a annual protest that is held across Pakistan on 8th of March which is on “International Women’s Day”. It started in 2018 and is still continued.
Haq Do Tehreek:
It is a protest movement that began in November 2021 in Gwadar ,Balochistan. It was led by Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman Baloch. It demanded the removal of unnecessary security checkpoints, to end the harassment of fishermen by security forces, and to provide clean water with excess electricity. It demanded better health and education facilities. Its benefit was that it brought national attention to long-ignored issues of Gwadar. It was accused of being politically motivated. Sometimes, there were controversies, but later the problems were resolved.
Students’ Solidarity March:
It is also an annual protest Movement that began in Pakistan in 2018. The reason behind starting this Movement was the injustice done to the students. They were not given the facilities to which they were entitled, and they had the right to ask for them. They protested for what they needed. All the students moved it. After working hard and raising their voices, the benefit they gained was that it helped in the education field and improved facilities for the students. Side effects included classes sometimes opening, which delayed studies. Some of the leaders used them for their benefit. However, the Movement is continuing and ongoing in Pakistan.
The Difference Between Past and Present Progressive Movements:
Progressive Movements are Movements, whether it’s past or present, but the thing that makes me think is what is the main difference between the two movements? They are alike, but I’m going to discuss how the Past movements are different from The Present ones.
In the past, particularly between the 1940s and 1980s, progressive Activism was deeply rooted in ideology, with socialism, communism, and anti-colonialism serving as its backbone. These movements prioritized issues such as ‘workers’ rights, and reforms, and land and asset equality. Mobilization depended almost entirely on physical networks. Prominent leaders like Faiz Ahmed Faiz , Habib Jalib and Hassan Nasir played a vital role in these movements. Progressive movements were very slow but they were very powerful struggles that were aimed to bring a big change in the society. Mostly they tried to help workers to ask for what belonged to them and giving women right to vote and many more.
Activists, thinkers, and community leaders often led these movements to spread their message to the people. With few modes of communication, they spread their words through speeches, rallies, and marches. Due to the lack of proper internet connectivity, they shared the news and story highlights from print media like newspaper and pamphlets. It almost took months and years to gather people all around the country to raise their voice against injustice and to ask for their rights. They attempted to unite people so that the government would listen to the majority of society’s desires for the betterment of their country. Activists and Leaders often faced violence threats and harassment. They often lost their job. Leaders were threatened that if they went against them, their family members would be killed and much more. The rudimentary focus was to highlight the ongoing issues faced by the women. They were determined and committed to achieve the goals, even if it took decades to do so.
The progressive movements emerging nowadays especially after 2000s and still continuing this time majorly represent the struggles for justice, gender equality, and climate action. These movements are entirely different when compared to the movements of the past. Thanks to the internet, social media, and global news, activists and Leaders can share their message quickly with everyone in seconds. They can gather people all around the country by simply sharing a message. They tried to gather people all around the country by simply sharing a message. They can gather a huge number of supporters in a very short period of time. Unlike the past, leadership is often decentralized, with movements guided by collectives NGOs and even online influencers. While these movements have the advantage of reaching millions, they also face challenges in new forms, like cyber-harassments, misinformation and even questioned over foreign funding. Today’s movements deal with many issues at once like enforced disappearance, climate change, gender equality and human rights. Organizers of these movements can hold online campaign, livestream protests and to seek help and support from different parts of the world. These movements grow fast, but they sometimes lose momentum quickly. The reason for losing momentum is that social media brings a new distraction every minute, causing delays in ongoing issues.
Conclusion:
Both eras lie in the betterment of a country, encompassing both its strengths and limitations. Past movements were slower and riskier, requiring a long struggle. On the other hand, present movements are more connected with the help of technology—primarily used to spread awareness. Comparing them, both share the same goal: making society fairer and better for everyone. They are like the two sides of the same coin: one with ink and street slogans, the other with typed hashtags and livestreams.
About the author:
