We are passing through a painful epoch. A deep malaise has set in. There is a generalized decline of economy, politics, ethics, morality, art, literature and culture. In a political spectrum littered with stale and deceitful leaders, Salman Taseer was a vivid and pleasant rarity. One could disagree with his economic and other policies but at least he was bold and frank. His ghastly assassination was an insult upon injury for the already suffering and agonized masses of Pakistan.

On the call for anti-privatisation protests by the Postal Action Committee huge protests and demonstrations were held in many cities of Pakistan on 4^th January.

A seminar on the topic of “Price hikes, privatization, unemployment, Reasons and Solution” was held at the PMA House, Garden Road, Karachi on December 30th. The program started at 3PM and was chaired by the Central General Secretary of the PTUDC, comrade Nazar Mengal, while comrade Lal Khan was invited as chief guest.

The right-wing government of Punjab has taken the decision to privatize 26 leading colleges. This has sparked anger in the people and the students. The privatization is being carried out under the cover of so called "autonomy". The government claims that it is only giving internal autonomy to the colleges and has created boards of governors in the colleges. But the teachers and students know the government's intentions very well.

As Pakistan plunges into even greater economic decline, the custodians of this system in its terminal decay call for measures that instead of retrieving will further exasperate the already adverse conditions society is afflicted with. Almost all the political parties and the domineering intelligentsia and experts are crying hoarse for the implementation of an austerity regime and the recipes of trickle-down or supply side economics.

The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign PTUDC along with the Labour Action Committee, the MRDW Unilever (Movement for the Restoration of Dismissed Workers), the Unilever Workers’ Action Committee and the Unilever Revolutionary Workers’ Union organised a rally from Railway Square to the gate of the Unilever factory in Rahim Yar Khan on November 27.

Two Student leaders from the Agriculture University Faisalabad, Umer Rasheed and Asad Rehman were arrested and sent to jail yesterday, 21 November 2010. They were involved in the movement against load-shedding in the university and against proposal for fee hikes.

Students, workers and political activists held a protest in Kot Addu to condemn the arrest of comrades Umer Rasheed and Asad Rehman. On 20 November at 11am they gathered at the Press Club in Kot Addu to protest against this brutal action of university administration and Punjab government.

The biggest crash in the history of capitalism in 2008 has created a new “normality” across the planet. This has led to vicious cuts and severe attacks upon the workers in most countries. The welfare states in Europe and elsewhere are being aggressively dismantled. After the failure of Keynesianism the neo-liberal model of capitalism, known as trickle-down economics, Thatcherism or Reaganomics has been an even bigger disaster.

Passing through the streets of Quetta, one is struck by the escalating chaos, crumbling infrastructure, dithering writ of the state and a malaise that hangs in the air. Even after a gap of a few months the decline is glaringly evident. The fear of state terrorism and target killings on national and ethnic lines is very palpable. And the misery, poverty and deprivation are much worse in the rest of Baluchistan.

The 93^rd Anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution was celebrated this year with great zeal and enthusiasm in Quetta (Balochistan). The function was arranged by the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign on the evening of 1^st November at 3pm in the Khurshid Labour Hall. Comrade Lal Khan was the chief guest.

In Pakistan the crisis in the power sector has affected the whole society for many years. Long power cuts and ever increasing electricity bills have made the lives of ordinary people hell. One of the main reasons for all this was the privatisation of the power generating sector many years ago.

Student protests are on the increase also in Pakistan. At the Agriculture University in Faisalabad the Revolutionary Council [Inqlabi Council], with a tradition going back to 1968, has been relaunched by Marxist students and in a recent meeting they called, close to 700 students turned up.

Revolutionary periods are historical exceptions. The masses enter the arena of history to transform their destiny with their own bare hands. On October 18, 2007 we witnessed one such moment when Benazir Bhutto returned from her last exile. A vast sea of the oppressed masses converged onto the streets of Karachi. Estimates vary from about 1.5 to 2.5 million.

Long power cuts, tremendous hikes in tuition fee and other dues, a ban on student unions, an increasing presence of security forces inside the university and other brutal measures against the students have forced them to come out and protest for their demands.