Mass movement defies state repression and killings in Pakistan-administered Kashmir

A mass movement has erupted once again in Pakistani Administered Kashmir (AJK) led by the Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC). Hundreds of thousands of people across the whole territory of AJK have been mobilised. Today, after a long march, they will reach the capital Muzaffarabad.

The movement started on 29 September with the call for a complete strike by the Joint Awami Action Committee of AJK. The committee already successfully led the movement last year. After a fierce battle in which three people were killed and several injured by state forces, the masses won a reduction in the price of electricity and the granting of subsidies on wheat flour.

The state repression this time has been much more draconian than previously. So far, there are confirmed reports of 14 people having been killed, and hundreds have been injured, shot by the forces of the state. Internet and mobile phone services were shut down by the state before the movement started, and the shutdown has continued for the whole week.

For that reason, the real situation at the ground is very difficult to confirm, although the reports that have emerged are that hundreds of thousands have been mobilised in all parts of AJK and are set to reach the capital Muzafarabad today. 

The major demands of the movement include employment for all, along with free healthcare and education facilities for all. The AAC has also called for an end to the perks and privileges of the ruling elite, including ministers, top bureaucrats and judges who get huge salaries, big bungalows, luxury cars and much more from the taxpayers’ money, whilst the common people are condemned to lives of poverty and misery.

The movement is a continuation of the mass movement of last year, when hundreds of thousands mobilised under the leadership of AAC and reached Muzafarabad to secure the acceptance of their main demands by the government. This was a huge victory for the movement. 

But even after the partial success of the movement, the leadership pressed on with the remaining demands and continued to protest. Meanwhile, the government initially promised to fulfil only to later betray its promise.

General strike

After many warnings and ultimatums, the leadership of the AAC finally decided to go for a general strike on 29 September. One of the major demands is also an end to the quota of twelve seats in AJK parliament for people now settled in Pakistan but originally from Kashmir. The AAC argues that elections to these seats are a farce, and that these seats are used by the Pakistani ruling class to manoeuvre inside the AJK parliament. 

Rather than accept these demands or negotiate with the leadership, the ruling class unleashed a wave of dirty tactics and draconian measures to crush the movement, which continues to this day.

Before the 29 September strike, a campaign to malign the leadership and the movement was launched in which all the political parties of the ruling elite were involved along with the toady media and other sections of the ruling class.

They propagated the idea that the leadership is being funded by India and that the whole movement is Indian-sponsored and hence an enemy of the people. Similarly, threats and intimidation by ministers and their stooges continued, day in and day out. But all these tactics failed. Rather, they strengthened the resolve of the masses to participate in the strike. 

All the political parties of the ruling elite represented in the parliament and holding ministries and other portfolios, including PML(N), PPP and PTI, tried to organise a collective campaign and tried to hold mass meetings, which were a miserable failure. The former prime ministers and others from various parties mounted stages in front of empty chairs. These corrupt leaders were addressing a crowd which was not present.

State repression

To crush the movement, special forces were sent from Pakistan including the Rangers, Islamabad Police, the Frontier constabulary and Punjab constabulary. These security forces were deployed along with the AJK police at various places inside AJK.

Another peculiar feature was the deployment of goons from the political parties of the ruling class on the front line, ahead of the lines of police and Rangers, under the guise of a ‘peace march’, which ended with unarmed and peaceful protestors being shot, leading to several deaths. In Muzafarabad, the goons were mostly from the political party Muslim Conference. Meanwhile, in Rawlakot, the goons of the local party, the JKPP, were seen gathering weapons for similar purposes.

However, in most places the masses came out in such huge numbers that these forces were overwhelmed and were unable to stop the rising tide of the people. In some places, they were even countered by local unarmed women who forced these forces to run away. At other places, however, goons under the protection of the state authorities opened fire on the protestors, leading to deaths and injuries. 

In some localities, the local police of AJK refused to obey orders and joined the protestors. There are reports that in this situation, the Rangers opened fire on the AJK police, leading to at least three policemen being killed, and the injury of several more.

Blame for these killings is also being placed on the protestors themselves, and the media is shouting foul that these are criminals who are attacking the police. However, everyone can see that this whole movement, which has mobilised hundreds of thousands of people, has been peaceful and that not a window has broken, nor even a single car damaged. The only criminal activities that have been unleashed were those of the state authorities.

This movement has once again expressed the revolutionary spirit among the masses. It is a feat of solidarity that can be felt in the whole atmosphere. Everyone is contributing with whatever he or she can. Some are voluntarily preparing and delivering food for the participants, while others are offering their services to transport the people to their destination. Hotels have opened their rooms for everyone to stay and take a rest during their journey. Everything seems to be free of cost for all.

Victory at all costs

There is a spirit of supporting and winning the movement at all costs. Even the killing of dozens of people and the injury of hundreds more haven’t deterred the people from participating. Rather, more people have joined the movement after these incidents, as can be seen at the funeral of the two martyrs in Muzafarabad which was attended by thousands of local people.

The AAC has once again emerged as the uniting force amongst the people, who were previously divided among various political parties, tribes and other local divisions. But the AAC has gathered all the hatred and directed it against the ruling class from a single platform organised into a mass movement. 

Committees have now spread to almost all parts of the AJK. Even in remote areas of Neelam valley and other such areas, people are organising themselves in action committees and are protesting and agitating around their local issues rather than going to the political leaders or district administration or police. 

These local committees then elect their representatives to sub-district and district-level committees, from which a Joint Committee has been elected from all the ten districts of AJK to lead this movement.

This organised movement has been able to give leadership to almost the whole population of AJK. The rottenness of every other political party has been exposed. They have been rejected by the masses. These parties have tried everything to stop the rise of the AAC, including leveling malicious attacks on the leadership and even expelling their members who join the protests of the AAC. But party workers have mostly chosen to leave these corrupt and anti-people parties, and have joined the activities of the AAC with revolutionary enthusiasm and determination.

These parties, from right to left, offer no way out for the masses who are facing unprecedented price hikes and unemployment, with hundreds of thousands having to go abroad to find jobs. Most of the youth from AJK are either working in Pakistan or in Gulf countries in very difficult conditions to support their families as there are no job opportunities or facilities for them in their hometowns. There have been many incidents in which youngsters from Kashmir have drowned at sea while attempting to cross to Europe. On the other hand, the rulers live in extreme luxury and abundance.

The real monstrous character of the Pakistani state has also been exposed in front of the masses. The state has always hypocritically painted itself as the champion of the freedom struggle of Kashmiris. The Pakistani state has always highlighted and condemned the brutal attacks of the Indian ruling class in Indian-occupied Kashmir, using this to gain the sympathy of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control for its own vested interests.

But now everyone can see that this state uses the same tactics as those of the Indian state. Pakistan has blocked internet and phone services in Kashmir just as Modi did in Indian-occupied Kashmir in the aftermath of draconian measures of 5 August 2019, when the special status of Kashmir in the Indian constitution was revoked. Pakistan too has sent security forces to kill ordinary Kashmiris protesting for their basic rights. 

Yesterday, police also attacked a protest of Kashmiris that had gathered in Islamabad outside the National Press Club in solidarity with the ongoing movement. Police even entered the premises of the Press Club and arrested and beat journalists who were covering the protest.

This has cleared away all doubts, if anyone had any, that so-called ‘Azad’ Kashmir is in fact Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, with Pakistan having imperialist interests in this region. Though the ruling class of Pakistan is still hypocritically talking about dialogue and negotiations to resolve the matter and have sent senior ministers to Muzafarabad, their real intentions are in plain view. Solidarity protests were also held in Karachi and Lahore in which the comrades of the Inqalabi Communist Party (RCP) also participated.

The character of the puppet ruling class and the parliament of AJK has also been exposed. It is an open secret now that they are enemies of the people. Out to defend their perks, privileges, loot and plunder, they are capable of killing as many people as they need.

This whole situation has placed a big task before the leadership of AAC, which is still pressing for its demands and has said again and again that they will not leave Muzafarabad unless their demands are met. But the situation is now escalating, and the responsibilities before the AAC are growing. It needs to take big steps forward if state repression continues and the negotiations with the government reach an impasse.

How to win?

In fact, the whole situation has already proved that the overwhelming majority of the population is with the AAC and has responded to its every call with full enthusiasm and fervour. Activists have even been martyred, laying down their lives for the cause of the mass movement. In this situation, the leadership needs to move forward and prepare itself to take power into its hands. It is already there for the taking. 

The present parliament and state apparatus have lost all credibility and support amongst the masses. Everyone can see that these are enemies of the people. They will not voluntarily retire from these positions nor will they allow the people all their rights.

The state authorities will find many excuses and ways to undermine this movement. They will use every trick in their hat to divide the movement on various lines and to deploy the most brutal measures imaginable. They will protect their privileges and the interests of the ruling class at every cost. The rulers of Pakistan will stand in complete support of them.

In fact, the only way to permanently secure the interests of the masses would be for the working masses to seize power into their own hands, through Awami Action Committees. 

What exists in AJK is a revolutionary situation, in which the masses are challenging the might of the rotten capitalist state. In fact, the AAC represents a parallel authority to the old state, an authority which far outstrips the rotten parliament and government. The AAC already has structures down to the local level that could replace the existing state apparatus, taking control of matters concerning district administration, police and judiciary into its own hands, replacing unaccountable bureaucrats with elected representatives who would decide on all important matters.

But this can only succeed as part of a revolutionary rising across Pakistan, as part of the chain of Gen Z revolutions now sweeping the region and the world. The masses of AJK cannot take power alone and expect to hold it for long in isolation. They would face the combined might and hostility of the ruling classes of all the region and the world.

The AAC leadership must begin agitating for the revolutionary struggle to spread across Pakistan, with a perspective of seizing power jointly with the workers and poor of Pakistan and the whole region.

Unfortunately, however, the movement’s leadership is calling itself non-political and is sticking to its charter of demands already presented to the government one year ago. It does not have a perspective of seizing power. That is what it must equip itself with.

There is huge sympathy for the plight of Kashmir among the masses in every corner of Pakistan. The AAC should appeal to the working class of Pakistan for solidarity and urge them to move forward in the same direction to overthrow their brutal and oppressive ruling class. The AAC must call upon the masses of Pakistan and India to rise up, to follow their example, to fight for their class demands and to break with the rotten parties of the ruling class by forming their own organs of class struggle. 

It should raise before the masses of Kashmir, Pakistan and India, the aim of seizing power and of expropriating the looters and parasites, to use this wealth to provide employment, free education and healthcare for all. It should explain that once power is in the hands of the working people through Awami Action Committees, that this workers’ government would take responsibility for assuring Roti, Kapra and Makan (bread, clothing and housing) for everyone; that it would achieve this by placing control of all resources including the banks, companies, dams and the other commanding heights of the economy in the hands of the workers and poor.

It should also declare a concrete programme for the ending of national oppression of Kashmir by the imperialist states of both India and Pakistan, which can only be brought to an end by overthrowing the capitalist system in the whole subcontinent.

Generalise the example of the Awami Action Committees by forming them across Pakistan, and begin preparing for power! The examples of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal have shown that the whole region is ripe for revolution. The AAC must act like a fan to spread the sparks of revolution from Kashmir to the whole Subcontinent. Precisely what the Gen Z revolution has lacked in all countries so far is organisation – alternative organs of workers’ power which can seize power from the old rotten, corrupt ruling cliques. The movement in Kashmir can provide it with an example!

The role of the communists

Comrades of the Inqlabi Communist Party (RCP) in Kashmir have intervened in this movement from the very beginning. In fact, the idea of building a movement on these lines was initiated by the comrades of the RCP, who started organising it at a local level, beginning in a small town and then building up to a district level around four years ago.

Despite many ups and downs, and through very difficult circumstances, the RCP has given unwavering support to the AAC and has been at the forefront of every struggle. Though other so-called left parties and nationalists have opposed this movement at all times and have attacked it from a narrow perspective, they were unable to stop the march of the AAC towards becoming the platform of the masses.

The RCP has not only supported and strengthened this platform at all levels but has also shown the way forward at every critical moment, which has been appreciated by the activists at the grassroots level who have supported our critique. 

Today, all the members of RCP in Kashmir are participating in the movement, while those in Pakistan are involved in solidarity protests and are reaching out to unions to get solidarity for this movement. The RCP also brings the support of members of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) in other countries around the world for this movement. Members of RCI in Britain and other countries have condemned state repression and have extended complete solidarity to the movement.

In the coming days and weeks the situation will move towards a decisive turning point and the battle between the classes in AJK will reach a critical point. No matter what happens, the comrades of the RCP have a firm belief in the revolutionary potential of the masses and will use every means at our disposal to attain victory for this movement.

This victory will no doubt have a huge impact on the movements already being waged in Pakistan, India and other countries in the region, and will show them a way forward. Ultimate victory can only be achieved by overthrowing the capitalist system through a socialist revolution, which will end poverty, hunger and misery in the whole region.

Down with state repression!

Long live the struggle of the AAC in AJK!

Forward to victory!

Workers of the world, unite!