Agrarian Resistance and Political Consciousness: A Socio-Historical Analysis of the Mazdoor Kissan Movement in Northern Hashtnagar Charsadda

Abstract

This research examines the socio-political dynamics and social effects of the Mazdoor Kissan Movement (MKM), or the Workers/Peasants’ Party, in Northern Hashtnagar (Charsadda), Formed in 1968 as a revolutionary response to the exploitation of landless laborers by Khawaneen (feudal lords), the movement sought to challenge the traditional landlord-tenant relationship through the implementation of tenancy laws and rent control. Drawing on Marxist-Leninist theory, the study explores how variables such as poverty, marginalization, awareness, and landlord attitudes served as catalysts for peasant mobilization. The methodological framework employs a qualitative interview strategy to capture the perspectives of a predominantly illiterate or rudimentarily educated population, focusing on the movement's evolution from radical struggle to institutionalized political participation. The findings reveal that the MKM significantly enhanced social, economic, and political awareness, leading to the establishment of peasant courts, the abolition of forced labor, and the redistribution of land to the landless. However, the movement also faced considerable challenges, including bloody conflicts, internal factionalism, and the complex merger with the Communist Party of Pakistan following the ban on leftist politics and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. Ultimately, the research highlights how the movement empowered the peasantry to demand state accountability and transformed the rural hierarchy, transitioning from an underground revolutionary force to a recognized entity within mainstream electoral politics in the area.