The alliance is actively struggling against despotism, theocratic & fascist terrorism, and economic exploitation of smaller constituent units with a special focus on Sindh and its people, The alliance is poised to play a pivotal role in parliamentary politics of Pakistan, by contesting elections and undertaking formal activities in regional political process,[11] It also claims that the people of Sindh are unhappy with the PPP government.[12]
History
On 23 October 2007, Grand Democratic Alliance was formed in Sindh, Pakistan. On 26 November 2017, the leaders of the GDA participated in GDA's first official meeting to be held in Sukkur on November 26.[10][13] The alliance was formed to defeat the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) 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 the 2018 elections.[14][15] The GDA opposed the feudalist system in Sindh, Which is openly supported by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) it has supported the anti-feudal elements against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh along with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).[8]
In the 2024 Pakistani general election, the GDA continued its alliance with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf during despite crackdown on the party.[20][21] The GDA ran against PPP candidates in several constituencies, but unlike the 2018 election, the GDA did not win many seats and a much lesser number of two Sindhi provincial seats were won by the GDA.[22] The elections countrywide and in Sindh were plagued with allegations of rigging in favor of the PPP and PMLN.[23][24][25][26] These allegations were spearheaded by the PTI, but were supported by the GDA.[17][21] In response to the elections, the GDA, as well as its allies, the Jamaat-e-Islami, JUI-F and PTI rejected the elections as rigged.[11][27][28] The alliance’s head Pir of Pagaro VIII alleged that the elections were rigged, and forfeited the two seats in protest.[29] The 2024 elections for the GDA are generally considered a defeat for the alliance, with it being overshadowed by the PPP and MQM-P according to some reports,[30] However, the GDA and its allies attribute these results to rigging.[31]
Subsequent protests
The Grand Democratic Alliance’s leadership launched large-scale protests and marches against the PPP government in protest of their alleged rigging in the 2024 elections.[6] The GDA declared February 27, the day of the election results as a ‘Black day’ and compared the Sindh elections to the 1970 elections where Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s mandate was stolen.[32] The protests were called a ‘million march’ by some sources and consisted of rallies and protests throughout rural Sindh, mainly in Karachi by GDA leaders. The anti-PPP protests and rallies were supported by the JUI-F, JI and PTI-SIC.[11]
Member parties
The following individuals and political parties are part of the GDA:[33]
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