Sindh National Front (S.N.F.) was a political party active in the province of Sindh,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It was led by

Mumtaz Bhutto Mumtaz Ali Khan Bhutto ( ur, ممتاز علی بھٹو , sd, ممتاز علي ڀٽو) (28 November 1933 – 18 July 2021), was a Pakistani politician who served as 8th Governor of Sindh and later the 13th Chief Minister of Sindh. He was als ...

, the cousin of Mr.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourth ...

, ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was hanged by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

. In 2017, the party merged with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Ideology

The main objective of the party was a 'confederation' where each of the four provinces of Pakistan (Sindh,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan) are semi-independent. The party had stated that it desires to bring about the same kind of autonomy federating units have in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Australia, and the cantons in Switzerland. However, none of the aforementioned countries are

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

confederations A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

. Sindh National Front believed that the 'provincial autonomy' which presently exists in Pakistan, provided in accordance with the Government of India Act of 1935, was actually meant for the provinces of colonial India and not for the provinces of a free and independent Pakistan. But after that in 1940 (

Lahore resolution The Lahore Resolution ( ur, , ''Qarardad-e-Lahore''; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, ''Lahor Prostab''), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazlul ...

) was the main theme of Independent Pakistan. The party stated that the

Lahore Resolution The Lahore Resolution ( ur, , ''Qarardad-e-Lahore''; Bengali: লাহোর প্রস্তাব, ''Lahor Prostab''), also called Pakistan resolution, was written and prepared by Muhammad Zafarullah Khan and was presented by A. K. Fazlul ...

is totally in favour of a

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, although varying interpretations exist such as the belief that Pakistan was originally believed to come into existence as three or more regions that would not have bordered each other and therefore would have to be autonomous for

good governance Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...

. Later, in the 2002 general election, the party joined the National Alliance, later forming the Pakistan Muslim League, with other polictial parties, such as the National Peoples Party (NPP).

Activities

Sindh National Front (SNF) has been engaged in Leftist sociol-political activism in Pakistan and strongly opposing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in Sindh since the

Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakist ...

become the president of Pakistan Peoples Party the SNF has been a criticized of

who he accused of corruption and usurping the Pakistan Peoples Party by using the

Bhutto family The Bhutto family ( ur, بھُٹو خاندان; sd, ڀُٽو خاندان) is a prominent political family and among the most powerful families in Pakistan, based in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The Bhuttos have played a prominent role in Pak ...

name to gain power and SNF joined

Grand Democratic Alliance The Grand Democratic Alliance ( ur, گرانڈ جمہوری اتحاد) or GDA is a political alliance in Pakistan. It was founded on 23 October 2017 as a movement against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in the Sindh accusing PPP regi ...

(GDA) to defeat the Pakistan Peoples Party in the Sindh province, which is considered a stronghold of the PPP The alliance has been seen as a major challenger to the PPP in Sindh. The SNF struggling against despotism, theocratic & fascist terrorism, and economic exploitation of smaller constituent units with a special focus on Sindh and

Sindhi people Sindhis ( sd, سنڌي Perso-Arabic: सिन्धी Devanagari; ) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who speak the Sindhi language and are native to the province of Sindh in Pakistan. After the partition of British Indian empire in 1947, m ...

. It is poised to play a pivotal role in parliamentary politics of Pakistan, by contesting elections and undertaking formal activities in political and developmental spheres as an organized institution.

Dissolution and merger with PTI

In 2017, the party merged with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) The merger accord was signed by PTI vice chairman

Shah Mehmood Qureshi Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi ( ur, ; born 22 June 1956) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 29th Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2022. He previously held the post from 2008 to 2011. He has been a member of the Nationa ...

and SNF vice chairman Ameer Bux Bhutto.Taking to the media regarding the merger, Shah Mehmood Quresh said that his party had been in talks with

for the past few months.The Bux Bhutto said youth of Sindh has welcomed

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

with great valour," Qureshi said, adding that the merger of the SNF with PTI indicates that the party agrees with PTI's "national mindset" PTI is also ready for another breakthrough in Sindh before the month of November is over," Qureshi said, while adding that his party is in contact with a number of political bigwigs from Sindh.The people of Sindh are unhappy with the current government,"Bux Bhutto said while speaking to the media.

References

External links

1989 establishments in Pakistan 2017 disestablishments in Pakistan Democratic socialist parties in Asia Defunct nationalist parties Defunct political parties in Pakistan Defunct social democratic parties Defunct socialist parties in Asia Liberal socialism Nationalist parties in Pakistan Political parties disestablished in 2017 Political parties established in 1989 Progressive parties in Pakistan Sindhi nationalism Social democratic parties in Pakistan {{Pakistan-party-stub