Pakistan: RCP launched amid another victory for the mass movement in Kashmir

The Revolutionary Communist Party has been founded. This party will smash all obstacles to become a leading force in the masses’ struggle against the rotten Pakistani regime and imperialism.

322 comrades from every corner of Pakistan gathered to discuss the dire situation in the country as well as how we plan to grow our forces through youth work, work in the mass movements, and amongst women.

The conditions are ripe for revolt. There is anger against the system everywhere you look. The recent revolutions in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as the farmers’ strike in India show that the entire subcontinent is on fire! The congress was further greeted by the outbreak of a mass movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Comrades from every region in Pakistan traveled to Lahore, from cities as far as Gwadar and Gilgit to Rawlakot and Quetta. Delegates also came from Karachi, Hyderabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, D.G.Khan, Bhakkar, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Peshawar, Malakand, Wana in South Waziristan and several other cities.

On top of this, we were joined by several comrades from across the Revolutionary Communist International: Ezoubair ‘Enzo’ Lalaoui from Italy, Kevin Nance from the United States, and two comrades from Sri Lanka, Joel Bergman from Canada, and Rob Sewell from the International Secretariat of the RCI. Comrade Fiona Lali, who recently ran in the general election in Britain with a bold communist campaign, joined the founding congress as well.

Travel conditions are made difficult by the decaying situation in Pakistan. Imperialist looting and years of budget cuts have made travel an obstacle that comrades largely succeeded in smashing. For example it took some comrades from Karachi 20 hours to travel by train to the congress, the same amount of time as the comrade who travelled from New York!

The founding congress was also marked with the launch of an Urdu translation of Trotsky’s book The Permanent Revolution and Results and Prospects. This edition – published by Lal Salaam publications and translated by Yasir Irshad – is the first ever publication of the book in Urdu.

Another interesting feature of the congress was the launch of the anthem of the party, which was widely appreciated by the audience, who kept on dancing to the tune during the breaks. All the work on this song was done by comrades of the RCP, including the lyrics, instrumentals, singing and recording. The song will be released soon on YouTube as well. Revolutionary poetry and singing during our meetings has been a hallmark of all the events of the communists in Pakistan, but this time another milestone was achieved by launching a new song.

The congress took place in the railway hall in Lahore. Comrade Salma Nazar opened the congress with a passionate speech that set the tone for the entire congress. Following this, comrade Rob Sewell from the International Secretariat introduced the discussion on World Perspectives. The extreme precariousness of the entire global capitalist system was on full display throughout the congress. While the congress was in session, the balance of forces between the imperialist powers shifted in the Middle East, as Islamist rebels deposed Assad. Meanwhile, the failure of the South Korean legislature to impeach their President after his declaration of martial law showed the spinelessness of the reformists to escalate the struggle against his power grab.

The comrades from US, Italy, Sri Lanka and Fiona Lali from Britain gave motivating interventions about the world political situation. It is crystal clear that the crisis in Pakistan is just an extreme form of the crisis of world capitalism.

Perspectives for Pakistan

Paras Jan, from Karachi, “the Petrograd of Pakistan”, introduced the discussion Pakistani Perspectives, while the session was chaired by Karim Parhar from Quetta. When Paras Jan speaks you cannot help but listen, as his intensity and enthusiasm does not falter through the entirety of his speech. He highlighted the dire situation in Pakistan, and focused on the inability of the bourgeois in Pakistan to solve the situation. Indeed, every single party in Pakistan is the enemy of the working class, which makes now the perfect time to found the Revolutionary Communist Party, which will become the best fighter for the working class and the most implacable enemy of the bourgeoisie.

The events around the world have also come to Pakistan, as the mass movement in Kashmir shows. The mass movement in Pakistan-administered Kashmir interrupted the travel of more than 100 Kashmiri delegates. There were mass marches in all cities to protest against a black law promulgated to ban any political gathering or meeting. This law has sparked a second mass movement, much bigger than the last one in scale and energy. Tens of thousands came out on streets on 5 December at the call of the Joint Awami Action Committee to protest against this law. A general strike was called and all transport, markets and institutions came to a halt. The delegates from Kashmir are involved in this movement and have played a key role in it. But due to the importance of the founding congress, leading comrades from Kashmir travelled to Lahore to participate in the congress, leaving some comrades behind to stay involved in the movement.

Throughout the congress, updates from Kashmir were shared, provoking cheers from all the delegates present. As the congress progressed, the struggle in Kashmir remained rock-solid as the mobilisation of the masses rendered the state incapable of attacking the movement. On the last day, it was announced that the movement was successful despite all the attacks by the regime. Not only had the government been forced to take back this black law, but 17 other demands were also accepted. This lifted the mood of the whole congress, and afterwards we discussed the way forward to build the RCP in Kashmir.

Yasir Irshad, Umer Riaz and Ajmal Rasheed, who are leading members of the Awami Action Committee in Rawlakot, spoke passionately during the congress, connecting the situation in Kashmir to the general crisis of capitalism. As we saw. events in Kashmir can develop quickly and indeed in Pakistan more broadly which will be no exception.

A solidarity message for the mass movement in Kashmir was passed unanimously by the founding congress.

After the first day’s events there were commissions on our newspaper, The Communist, on campaigns and on work amongst women. The comrades discussed the tasks of these commissions which all flowed from the need for the revolutionary party to develop into a force that can act as a factor in the political situation. Steps are being made to professionalise this work and we are confident we will make large steps forward in all of these fields. Especially important is the greater development of our work amongst women in such a society as Pakistan, which is dominated by male chauvinism. The female comrades – all the comrades, in fact – are fiercely determined to grow the party quantitatively as well as deepen their understanding of Marxist theory.

In the evening, revolutionary ghazals [poems] were recited and some revolutionary songs were sung. The poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Habib Jalib were recited with a moving response from the crowd. The comrades’ enthusiasm for revolutionary art was indicated by the high quality of the music and dancing.

An electric mood ran throughout the congress. Reports and interventions were frequently interrupted by rounds of applause and revolutionary chanting to the amusing dismay of the chair, who had the unenviable task of keeping the congress moving. Despite the interruptions of revolutionary fervor, the chairs did a great job and the congress went on without a hitch. The smoothness of the congress along with the excellent quality of the meals and tea service were the product of the hard work of the organising committee who should be thanked. It is no easy task to organise a large event without problems, but this was accomplished.

Revolutionary leadership

On the second day we discussed the manifesto of the party. Adam Pal introduced the discussion, while Yasir Irshad from Kashmir chaired the session. In many ways this was a continuation of the Pakistani Perspectives discussion, as the passionate leadoff was dripping with valuable political insight about the need for a revolutionary party. A long discussion on small organisational details at such a congress would have been unnecessary. Instead, comrade Adam Pal outlined the revolutionary principles of Bolshevism, and how they apply to a country like Pakistan, which is in the process of decay. The effect of this was felt by all comrades, who now have a clearer understanding of the road ahead. Launching the party is a milestone not only in the political landscape of the country, but also in the history of the communist movement here which has seen many ups and downs.

Adam emphasised the importance of collective leadership rather than worshipping so-called charismatic leaders, which has become a norm in the politics of South Asia. He also explained the importance of the method of Bolshevism in developing the revolutionary party and how the RCP is applying this method in Pakistan. He also highlighted the importance of Marxist theory, which is the basis of this newly founded party.

The congress ended with a report from the international guests on the growth of the organisation in their countries, with Valeed Khan as the chair. Comrades agree on the fact that being part of the Revolutionary Communist International is our greatest strength. The constant exchange of theoretical and organisational lessons makes our growth possible. Without the International, our collective tasks would be infinitely more difficult.

Comrades were armed with red flags and banners proclaiming what communists want: an end to class society and ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makan’ (‘Bread, clothing and shelter’) / Image: RCP

Rob Sewell brought the house down with his summary speech at the end of the congress. While saluting the comrades for the excellent work they are doing in Pakistan, he challenged the comrades with the task of going back to their areas, winning the youth, building the revolutionary party, and ending capitalism once and for all! When the speech ended, the entire congress sang the Internationale.

After that, a rally was held at the Lahore Press Club to announce the launching of the party. Comrades were armed with red flags and banners proclaiming what communists want: an end to class society and ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makan’ (‘Bread, clothing and shelter’) for everyone. At the Lahore Press Club, leading comrades addressed the rally including Comrade Ehsan Ali from Gilgit, Ajmal Rasheed and Umer Riaz from Kashmir and Salma Nazar and Aftab Ashraf from Lahore.

Long live the Revolutionary Communist Party! Long live the Revolutionary Communist International! Inqalab Zindabad!