Asia

Even before all the votes had been counted the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto accused the Pakistani regime of vote-rigging. However, this is not just a ritual claim of a bitter leader forced into exile by accusations of corruption. Even the EU observers have had to admit that, "Regrettably... the Pakistan authorities engaged in a course of action which resulted in serious flaws in the electoral process." This was particularly blatant in the case of Sialkot-5, one hundred kilometres north of Lahore. Here Ghulam Abbas was denied victory because of his role on the left of the PPP.

The ideas of genuine Marxism have been vindicated with the election of Manzoor Ahmed to the Pakistani Parliament in yesterday's elections. During this election campaign many thousands of workers came into contact with the ideas of Marxism for the first time. On one of Manzoor's election posters the main slogan was "Irreconcilable Struggle Until Socialist Revolution". So no one can have any doubt what the people of Kasur were voting for! When the result was announced in the early hours of the morning huge numbers of Manzoor's supporters came out spontaneously to celebrate his victory.

The masses of Pakistan are bracing themselves for yet another election under another military dictatorship. They do so amid fears of vote rigging, manipulation and fabrication of the results on the part of the regime which is attempting to get its civilian toadies into positions of power within the so-called new democratic set-up. Lal Khan, editor of the Asian Marxist Review looks at the perspectives for the coming period.

This is an article from the current Asian Marxist Review on the Loya Jirga, an ancient pre-feudal tradition that is being resurrected by the imperialists to give an illusion of democracy in Afghanistan and to justify their aggression and the rule of their puppets.

Sadaf Zahra looks at the terrible situation in Pakistan where rapes and killings are done in the name of family honour, and are rarely investigated by the police. In areas where tribal customs still prevail, it is not uncommon for public punishment to be inflicted on women as a form of retaliation against their families. Such a case occurred recently in the village of Meerwala where a woman was subjected to gang-rape under the decision of a tribal council.

The US and coalition forces have been chasing their own shadows for the last few months in Afghanistan without achieving any tangible results. Increasingly frustrated, the US forces are lashing out in all directions, in the vain hope of killing "the enemy". So far the only people killed have been civilians and US allies.

On Sunday, June 30, the PTUDC Karachi arranged a public meeting at the PMA house in the centre of Karachi, the industrial hub of Pakistan. More than 70 trade unionists from all the major industries attended the meeting, to celebrate the release of the striking civil secretariat workers in Quetta. Strike leader Hameed Khan who had travelled from Quetta to Karachi for the meeting received a standing ovation and thanked everyone who supported the PTUDC campaign, in Pakistan and internationally.

On Sunday, June 30, the PTUDC Karachi arranged a public meeting at the PMA house in the centre of Karachi, the industrial hub of Pakistan. More than 70 trade unionists from all the major industries attended the meeting, to celebrate the release of the striking civil secretariat workers in Quetta. Strike leader Hameed Khan who had travelled from Quetta to Karachi for the meeting received a standing ovation and thanked everyone who supported the PTUDC campaign, in Pakistan and internationally.

They were released in the late hours of Friday, June 21 after two months of imprisonment in Quetta's central jail. All the workers have been released unconditionally and the cases against them have been withdrawn. This shows that even in most difficult of objective conditions battles of the class struggle can be fought and won.

They were released in the late hours of Friday, June 21 after two months of imprisonment in Quetta's central jail. All the workers have been released unconditionally and the cases against them have been withdrawn. This shows that even in most difficult of objective conditions battles of the class struggle can be fought and won.

The strike movement in Quetta has taken a dramatic new turn in the last couple of days. A general strike on Wednesday brought the whole city of Quetta to a standstill. This struggle has now entered a delicate and decisive phase.

The strike movement in Quetta has taken a dramatic new turn in the last couple of days. A general strike on Wednesday brought the whole city of Quetta to a standstill. This struggle has now entered a delicate and decisive phase.

Alan Woods takes a look at the unsuccessful military exploits of the British expeditionary force that Tony Blair so enthusiastically sent to Afghanistan, hoping to take on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.

Lal Khan looks at the developing threat of war between India and Pakistan, and particularly at the question of Kashmir, which has caused three wars in the last 54 years since independence. He looks at the catastrophic effects of the nuclear bomb, and explains the necessity of a class struggle that cuts across national boundaries, to create a a socialist federation of the Indian subcontinent, as the only way of ending forever the threat of nuclear war.