In the 1960s and 70s the NLF, headed by Saif Bin Ali, assisted by Yousif Ajaji (born 1939) and Abdulla Rashid Binali (born 1935), played a leading part in two major events: the March Intifada (uprising) of 1965, in which nationalist forces rose up against British colonialism, and the labour movement of the early 1970s.

Almost the whole clandestine organisation collapsed, some members died under torture, and a large number were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment after false and illegal confessions.

In spite of the unprecedented political circumstances that faced the surviving activists of the NLF, a handful of fighters remained, though in different method of activity.

One can see their fingerprints on the events of the 1990s called the “constitutional movement.” In the early 2000s, after a change in the regime's policy, exiled leaders were allowed to return to Bahrain and to work politically.

Following the 2002 election, the NLF and PDTA had three members in parliament, including the deputy speaker, Abdulhadi Marhoon.