Pakistan

The multi-million reception for Benzir Bhutto last week, and the subsequent terrorist bomb attack, revealed more clearly in one day all the deep contradictions of Pakistani society than anything else could have. The hopes and aspirations of the masses have been aroused, and they want solutions to their problems. No matter what happens in the days, weeks, and months to come, revolutionary storms loom large on the horizon.

We have just received this report from the Pakistani Marxists who intervened massively in the welcoming rally to receive Benazir Bhutto. Their ideas connected with many people on the rally. Unfortunately all this was cut across by the suicide bombings. The comrades turned their attention to helping the wounded. On Monday we will be publishing a lengthier analysis.

We often hear of the brutal conditions that workers have to suffer in underdeveloped countries. Here we have an example of a famous multinational, Unilever, which is making huge profits while paying starvation wages and using draconian measures when the workers dare to protest. Send messages of protest and let these workers know they are not alone.

The influence and strength of the Marxists in Kashmir continues to grow apace. Testimony to this is the fact that around 800 attended the regional conference held last Sunday, September 9. This all bodes well for the future revolutionary events.

On September 7, the South Punjab Labour Conference was held in Multan with many delegates from workplaces and workers’ leaders present. The conference was organised by the Multan Joint Action Committee and the purpose of the gathering was to unite all the various struggles of the Pakistani workers on one platform.

There are very repressive labour laws in the United Arab Emirates. In spite of this a strike has erupted at the Consolidated Construction International Company (CCIC) in Abu Dhabi. The official media is not reporting on this. Send the government and the company a message letting them know we know what is going on.

The recent dramatic events at the Red Mosque in Islamabad cannot be understood unless one looks below the surface at the real situation in Pakistan. The state in its various forms has fostered Islamic fundamentalism over a long period. That explains the slow and bungled reaction of Musharraf. It also reveals the deep crisis afflicting the whole of Pakistani society.

Sindhi nationalism is an expression of the impasses the masses in Sindh face under the oppressive feudal-capitalist regime that dominates the whole of Pakistan. Genuine Sindhi liberation in today's context can only be achieved through socialist revolution and the unity of the workers of all nationalities. Dr Beenish Shoro looks at the Sindhi national conquest from a Marxist point of view.

In spite of being of key importance to the functioning and safety of the Pakistan railways, the workers of the Signals Department are constantly harassed and abused by the railway authorities, up to and including the threat of police measures. These workers are reaching the limit of what they can take and are now threatening strike action.

The carnage and the mayhem in Karachi on May 12 is another reminder of the rapidly deteriorating socio-economic and political situation in Pakistan. In the last seven years the quasi-military regime in Pakistan has been lurching from one crisis to another.

On the night of May 5, 2007 a cricket tournament was organized by Berozgaar Nojawaan Tehreek (BNT), in Lahore. The revolutionary speeches given during the tournament exposed the lack of facilities and poor infrastructure not only in the field of sports but in all other fields of life.

The burning mud-bowl procession of May 1 was the most glorious in the history of Kasur. It was organised by the PTUDC in collaboration with the People's Party Kasur. Workers from some twenty unions took an active part in the procession.

May Day rallies and meetings were held all across Pakistan and Kashmir earlier this week. The PTUDC and The Struggleplayed a large role in commemorating May 1st. we publish here some of the reports and photos of the magnificent mobilisation of the working class in Pakistan.