Asia

Here we present a round-up of Alan Woods' tour in Pakistan, including a new report of his meeting with PPP leaders in Lahore on March 31 which was reported in the Pakistani media, but which we have not covered here until now.

Here we present a selection of the Pakistani press coverage of the meeting on the roof of the Hyderabad Press Club on March 29 which was attended by over 350 people.

On a blazing hot day, in Hyderabad, Sindh, 350 people attended a packed meeting on the roof of the Hyderabad Press Club. This was the third and most successful in the speaking tour of Socialist Appeal and www.marxist.com editor, Alan Woods, under the auspices of the Struggle, the Pakistani Marxist tendency. At the meeting a Sindhi language version of the Communist Manifesto, published by the Struggle, was launched. And afterwards a play was performed depicting the class struggle with actors representing the workers and the capitalists. The audience included men and women, trade unionists, activists of the Agricultural Workers' Organisation, and many students from the three

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"Inaction is not an option," declares George W. Bush, seeking to extend the "war on terror" to Iraq. But the recent heavy fighting between US and Afghan forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan gives the lie to those who say the war is over. It is dawning on the military strategists that victory cannot be won by air power alone, and combat troops will be required on the ground for some time to come. However, using Afghan forces has proved complicated, as the warlords - newly armed by the Americans - seek to reassert their influence.

The JKNSF is a significant political force amongst youth in Kashmir. It is now led by Marxists with a clear socialist internationalist programme, and is getting an enthusiastic response from the radicalised Kashmiri youth.

The workers at the Pakistani Steel Mills in Karachi have won a stunning victory over the management, composed of corruput army officials. They occupied the plant and blocked a highway, causing the administration to hastily back down and agree to the workers' demands for better safety conditions in the wake of previous fatal accidents at the mills. This is one of the most important victories for the Pakistani proletariat in recent times - alongside the victory of the Baluchistan public sector workers in Quetta, which was led by Hameed Khan, the organizer of the PTUDC in Quetta. These events will have an impact on the workers far beyond the premises of the Pakistan Steel Mills.

The workers at the Pakistani Steel Mills in Karachi have won a stunning victory over the management, composed of corruput army officials. They occupied the plant and blocked a highway, causing the administration to hastily back down and agree to the workers' demands for better safety conditions in the wake of previous fatal accidents at the mills. This is one of the most important victories for the Pakistani proletariat in recent times - alongside the victory of the Baluchistan public sector workers in Quetta, which was led by Hameed Khan, the organizer of the PTUDC in Quetta. These events will have an impact on the workers far beyond the premises of the Pakistan Steel Mills.

The migrant workers of Hong Kong - who have developed an independent group of unions and achieved almost 100% membership of unions, social and political groups, churches and agencies - have won a major victory in their militant action to prevent any further pay cuts. What remains are the demands to defeat any proposed changes in working conditions, fees and number caps and the new demands raised in a young movement that has now tasted first blood.

We are publishing here Chapter Seven of the book 'Partition, Can it be undone?' by Lal Khan. We are publishing it because of its relevance to the present conflict between India and Pakistan. This chapter analyses the historical background and the economic and strategic interests that have led to the present situation.

Lal Khan, in Lahore, analyses the difficult situation now facing the military dictatorship of General Musharaff after his humiliating submission to the demands of US imperialism. He also looks at the dire economic situation that has been aggravated by the conflict with India

This well researched book was written (by Ahmed Rashid) before the events of September 11th 2001. The author is a journalist who has worked in Afghanistan since 1979. It has been described by The Guardian as the book which is being read by Tony Blair and Alistair Campbell, who allegedly have been heavily influenced by the book. Do not let that deter you from reading this book! It remains to be seen if they have really been influenced by it.

Question: The factional infighting between the Indonesian parliament and the President has reached the point of a severe constitutional crisis. An impeachment procedure against him has now started and will culminate in a special session of the People Representative Assembly on the first of August. This may lead to the censuring of the President and his replacement 22 months after being the first democratically elected president. What are the underlying causes for this protracted crisis at the top of Indonesian society?

NOTE: This is a draft of a talk I presented in May, 1998 at a conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the Karabagh Movement. I revised the draft slightly in December 1998, and except for minor changes, I have not bothered to update it since. I should point out, however, that an abundance of new research material has come to light recently, including revelations about massive emigration from the Republic of Armenia. (Some reputable sources have claimed that, by the year 2000, the population of the country had been reduced to one-half of what it had been ten years earlier.) These revelations confirm and reinforce the assessment presented below.