View source for Organization:Women Democratic Front

{{short description|Women Democratic Front}}
{{Infobox organization
| formation    = 2018
| name         = Women Democratic Front (WDF)
| image         = 
| caption       = ''caption''
| native_name = English name in Urdu script: <br/> {{lang|en|{{font|size=200%|{{nq|ویمن ڈیموکریٹک فرنٹ}}}}}} 
|leader_title = General Secretary       
|leader_name  = Alya Bakhshal
|leader_title2 = President         
|leader_name2  = Ismat Shahjahan<ref name="first">{{cite news |title=Women's Democratic Front launched to build a vibrant, socialist and a feminist movement |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/212473/womens-democratic-front-launched-to-build-a-vibrant-socialist-and-a-feminist-movement/ |work=Daily Times |date=9 March 2018}}</ref> 
|type  = Women's organization
|focus  = [[Social:Socialist feminism|Socialist Feminism]], supports women for healing from oppression
|location  = {{wipe|Pakistan}}
|website            = {{URL|https://wdfpk.org//}}
}}

'''Women Democratic Front (WDF)''' is an independent socialist-feminist organization based in {{wipe|Pakistan}}. It was founded in the federal capital [[Place:Islamabad|Islamabad]] on March 8, 2018,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ali |first1=Hasan |title=Pakistani Women Are Leading the Struggle for Human Rights |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/world/pakistan-women-human-rights/ |date=28 September 2021}}</ref> by hundreds of delegates from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.<ref name="first" />

WDF aims to unite women across the country to build a socialist feminist<ref>{{cite book |title=She Who Struggles |url=https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745348247/she-who-struggles/}}</ref> movement to transform the International Women's Day celebration in Pakistan into real means of action.<ref name="first" /> 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.<ref name="www.pakistantoday.com.pk">{{cite news |title=WDF demands to repeal ban on media coverage of KP's girls' schools {{!}} Pakistan Today |url=https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2018/10/30/wdf-demands-to-repeal-ban-on-media-coverage-of-kps-girls-schools/ |work=www.pakistantoday.com.pk}}</ref>

The Front was inaugurated on International Women's Day, 2018,<ref>{{cite news |title=Reflection of increasing awareness, acceptance of women's rights |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/290051-reflection-of-increasing-awareness-acceptance-of-women-s-rights |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref> 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 {{wipe|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Women Democratic Front to be launched on March 8 |url=https://awamiworkersparty.org/awp-women-front-to-be-launched-on-march-8-in-islamabad/ |website=Awami Workers Party, Pakistan |date=14 January 2018}}</ref>

==Foundation==
WDF was formally established as a resistance movement on International Women's Day International Working on March 8, 2018, in [[Place:Islamabad|Islamabad]] at a foundation congress by delegates from provincial units which were functional since 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=What made Aurat March possible? {{!}} Dialogue {{!}} thenews.com.pk |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/567420-made-aurat-march-possible |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref> The congress laid the foundation of Aurat Azadi March (Women's Freedom March) in {{wipe|Pakistan}}.<ref name="Europe">{{cite news |title=Pakistan – Aurat Azadi March: WDF launched with a pledge to fight patriarchy, social injustice and violence - Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières |url=http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article43474 |work=www.europe-solidaire.org}}</ref>

==Ideology==
WDF considers violence, discrimination and patriarchal oppression as part of overall oppression and exploitation of the masses in {{wipe|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 {{wipe|Pakistan}}. Their ideology is described by socialist-feminism and history of women's political struggles.<ref>{{cite news |title='State policies, laws discriminatory towards women' |url=https://fp.brecorder.com/2018/03/20180309350164/ |work=Business Recorder |date=9 March 2018}}</ref>

==Organizational structure==
WDF is a federal organization with country-wide presence as four national units in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab/[[Place:Islamabad|Islamabad]]; Baluchistan and a federal unit. WDF also aims to make units in the disputed territories of Gilgit-Baltistan, [[Place:Kashmir|Kashmir]] to organize women of these areas making them part of the movement.<ref name="Leadership">{{cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://wdfpk.org/about/leadership/ |website=Women Democratic Front}}</ref>

WDF has following intertwined elected structures:

*Congress:<ref>{{cite news |last1=Correspondent |first1=The Newspaper's Staff |title=‘Women congress’ decries patriarchal laws, forced conversion |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1788592 |work=DAWN.COM |date=12 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref> 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<ref name="Europe" />

General Secretary:	Alya Bakhshal<ref>{{cite news |title='Liberal feminism not enough to address social oppression women face' {{!}} ePaper {{!}} DAWN.COM |url=https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=26_05_2016_153_005 |work=epaper.dawn.com}}</ref>

Secretary Information and Publishing:	Tooba Syed<ref name="www.pakistantoday.com.pk"/>

Secretary Education and Art:	Shahzadi Hussain<ref name="Leadership"/>

Secretary Finance: Lubna Kifayat

[[Biography:Jalila Haider|Jalila Haider]], one of the provincial president of WDF,<ref name="Leadership"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Azaranica: Women Democratic Front's Jalila Haider announced indefinite hunger strike against the on-going target killings of Hazaras in Quetta. |url=http://azaranica.blogspot.com/2018/04/voa-urdu-quetta-protest.html |work=Azaranica |date=28 April 2018}}</ref> from Quetta, Balochistan was named in the 100 Women (BBC) in 2019 which is a list about inspiring and influential women compiled by BBC<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-50042279 |date=16 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hazara woman from Pakistan named in BBC's 100 Women of 2019 |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/251423-hazara-woman-from-pakistan-named-in |work=www.geo.tv}}</ref>

Nargis Afsheen Khattak (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter of WDF)<ref>{{cite web |title=K-P women lament lack of rights|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2172016/1-k-p-women-lament-lack-rights/|website=The Express Tribune|date=9 March 2020|accessdate=2 April 2020}}</ref>

==Citations/Sources==
This article was created during ‘WikiGap’<ref>{{cite web |title=WikiGap Challenge - Meta |url=https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiGap_Challenge |website=meta.wikimedia.org |language=en}}</ref> event, in [[Place:Islamabad|Islamabad]], Pakistan on 11,12 October 2019, organized by Swedish Embassy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shahid |first1=Jamal |title=Volunteers gather to add information online about Pakistani women |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1510517/volunteers-gather-to-add-information-online-about-pakistani-wom%3C/body%3E%3C/html%3E |work=DAWN.COM |date=13 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title='WikiGap' event by Swedish Embassy puts more Pakistani women on Wikipedia |url=https://www.islamabadscene.com/wikigap-event-by-swedish-embassy-puts-more-pakistani-women-on-wikipedia/ |work=Islamabad Scene |date=13 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Content added to Wikipedia about Pakistani women |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/540548-content-added-to-wikipedia-about-pakistani-women |work=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>

===References===
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Socialist organizations]]

{{Sourceattribution|Women Democratic Front}}