Pakistan: Urdu translation of Bolshevism launched in Lahore, overcoming state censorship

An Urdu translation of Alan Woods’ Marxist masterpiece, Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution, written on the history of the Bolshevik Party that led the Russian Revolution of 1917, was published by Lal Salam Publications, officially launched at a ceremony on 18 November 2023. 

[Originally published in Urdu at marxist.pk]

A launch ceremony was organised by the Progressive Youth Alliance, a nationwide organisation of Marxist students and youth, in collaboration with Lal Salam Publications. The event was held at the head office of Lal Salam Publications in Lahore. Students, youth, workers, progressive political activists and writers participated in this event, which also commemorated 106 years since the October Revolution in Russia.

A hall was previously booked in Al-Hamra Arts Council Lahore. But the Pakistani state, afraid of the history of the Russian Revolution, cancelled the booking just a day before the event. But despite this, the successful holding of the launch ceremony is a testimony to the fact that no matter how much you try to stop true ideas, they find their own way.

Adeel Zaidi, the central leader of Red Workers’ Front, the nationwide organisation of workers under the banner of the IMT, performed the duties of stage secretary during the ceremony. At the beginning, Saif, a student of GC University Lahore, opened by reciting a revolutionary poem.

After that, the first address was given by Fazeel Asghar, the central president of the Progressive Youth Alliance. Other speakers included Abid Hussain Abid, the leader of Anjuman Progressive Writers’; progressive political activist and researcher Hasan Jafar Zaidi; and the central leader of Lal Salam, the Pakistan section of the IMT, Adam Pal.

Fasail Asghar said that the transformation of the Bolshevik Party from an organisation based on a few people into a mass revolutionary party was not a miracle, but reflected the power of the revolutionary ideas of Marxism, which are still a beacon for us today.

The transformation of the Bolshevik Party from an organisation based on a few people into a mass revolutionary party was not a miracle / Image: Lal Salaam

Abid Hussain Abid discussed the contents of the book in literary and political terms and appreciated the great effort of the author. He highlighted the role of the revolutionary party that has a program of creating an alternative socialist system to get rid of the growing global crisis of capitalism.

Hasan Jafar Zaidi gave a summary of the entire book, including excerpts. Aftab Ashraf said that the main feature of this book is that it explains the method of building the party that led the revolution of Russia and especially its leader Lenin.

The concluding remarks of the ceremony were delivered by Adam Pal. Addressing the participants, Adam said that, in the current era, reading theory is a must for every youth who aspires for a revolutionary change in society. He also highlighted the importance of a party modelled on the Bolsheviks in the context of the movements emerging in Pakistan and all over the world in today's revolutionary era.

Posters against the forced eviction of Afghan refugees were also displayed at the event.

In the event, Sanaullah Jalbani, organiser of Lal Salam Publications Lahore, introduced the books based on the revolutionary ideas of Marxism, published by Lal Salam Publications, and gave details of the Marxist literature to be published in the coming period, including an Urdu translation of the Communist Manifesto, which will be published in the near future.

At the end, enthusiastic revolutionary slogans were raised and the participants went home with armfuls of revolutionary literature.