Asia

Lal Khan, editor of the Asian Marxist Review looks at the current situation in Pakistan. The economy is in ruins and Musharraf is under attack from all sides. The referendum he arranged to bolster support for himself has been a failure. The Americans are getting tired of him, and he has got nothing in return for his subservience. In desparation he is resorting to increased repression, as the attacks on the striking public sector workers in Quetta show.

Nazar Mengal, a leading PTUDC activist, is playing a key role in the present strike movement in Baluchistan. The authorities have moved him to a remote village and issued him with a show-cause notice. After the brutal repression of the civil secretariat strike the state does not want retaliation from elsewhere in Baluchistan, and they are targetting the PTUDC in particular.

Nazar Mengal, a leading PTUDC activist, is playing a key role in the present strike movement in Baluchistan. The authorities have moved him to a remote village and issued him with a show-cause notice. After the brutal repression of the civil secretariat strike the state does not want retaliation from elsewhere in Baluchistan, and they are targetting the PTUDC in particular.

In the last weeks India has seen some of the most horrific communal violence in the whole of its post-partition history. There are more people killed in India each year due to religious violence than in any other country in the world. At the time of partition in 1947, more than a million Hindus and Muslims were slaughtered in the communal frenzy ensuing from the act of partition. Having utterly failed to provide a decent standard of living for the working people of India, the Indian ruling class are resorting to crude chauvinism to maintain their support. But over the last 50 years capitalism has shown it is utterly incapable of providing the solutions to the problems of the masses. The

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Today a protest demonstration was held in the city of Kasur in the East of Pakistan, to protest against the continuing imprisonment of the Quetta strike leaders, and the government's sacking of 1,125 public sector workers who are on strike. To read more about the ongoing campaign and how you can help, please see the website of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign.

Hameed Khan, the leader of the Quetta civil secretariat strike, and the other arrested workers are still in jail. In Pakistan the PTUDC has stepped up its nationwide activity. However, international pressure has proved in the past to be decisive in getting the release of jailed trade unionists. Here we present three letters, written by Mikhail Doronenko from the Russian section of the PTUDC, and sent to Pakistani President Musharraf, the federal interior minister, and the governor of Buluchistan. We believe these to be model letters, and we encourage all our readers to follow this example.

Hameed Khan, the leader of the Quetta civil secretariat strike, and the other arrested workers are still in jail. In Pakistan the PTUDC has stepped up its nationwide activity. However, international pressure has proved in the past to be decisive in getting the release of jailed trade unionists. Here we present three letters, written by Mikhail Doronenko from the Russian section of the PTUDC, and sent to Pakistani President Musharraf, the federal interior minister, and the governor of Buluchistan. We believe these to be model letters, and we encourage all our readers to follow this example.

On Sunday, the PTUDC Lahore held a protest demonstration after the government announced the sacking of 1,125 striking government workers in Quetta. The PTUDC demands the immediate release of all those jailed, the reinstatement of all workers fired, and for the workers' demands to be met. A message from jailed strike leader Hameed Khan was read out at the event in front of the Lahore Press Club. The PTUDC has stepped up its nationwide campaign.
See also the Press Coverage of the event.

On Sunday, the PTUDC Lahore held a protest demonstration after the government announced the sacking of 1,125 striking government workers in Quetta. The PTUDC demands the immediate release of all those jailed, the reinstatement of all workers fired, and for the workers' demands to be met. A message from jailed strike leader Hameed Khan was read out at the event in front of the Lahore Press Club. The PTUDC has stepped up its nationwide campaign.
See also the Press Coverage of the event.

This the report from the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign on the May Day activities that took place up and down the country. The main rallying slogan was for the release of the imprisoned strike leaders in Quetta, where Hameed Khan and around 150 others are still in jail, and that the only way out for the masses of Pakistan is the road of socialist revolution. The day was a great success.

This is the PTUDC's May Day leaflet, which the PTUDC has produced along with posters which will be flyposted throughout the country. The strike in Quetta continues, and there will be protests, demonstrations and rallies throughout Pakistan. See the leaflet at the PTUDC website.

The strike of public sector workers in Quetta, Baluchistan continues. Here are two articles that appeared in today's Dawn, the leading English language daily newspaper in Pakistan, followed by a short piece about the background to the strike. The PTUDC thanks everyone who has already sent in messages of solidarity and donations.

We have received the news from Pakistan that the leader of the victorious November strike of civil servants in Quetta, Hameed Khan, has been arrested again, together with other union leaders and protesting workers. The latest reports are that between 250 to 300 workers have been arrested and the newspapers in Quetta have been prohibited from publishing anything about the workers' protests. This is a serious development and the dictatorship seems to be moving towards a greater repression. This is an extremely serious situation and it is essential that we move immediately to protest against this action and to bring every pressure to bear on the Pakistani authorities.