The seven socialist activists abducted by the Rangers in Pakistan are still being held. Their whereabouts remain unknown. All possible measures are being taken to locate them. As yet, no charges have been made and the reason is that no crime has been committed. They have been abducted because of their solidarity activities with the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM): a mass movement of immense proportions of the Pashtun people, who are demanding to know where the 30,000 people who have disappeared over recent years are, whether they are being held in prison or whether they have been killed.

Today, protests were held in Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawlakot and other cities to demand the release of comrades abducted in Karachi by the army and Sindh Rangers. They were disappeared because they joined a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club that was called by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). Nobody has been informed of their whereabouts so far and no case has been registered against them. Their family members are experiencing extreme shock and worry, but still don’t know the location of their loved ones.

A number of prominent youth and trade union activists have been disappeared in Karachi by the Army and Sindh Rangers, a paramilitary state department notorious for extra-judicial killings. No case has been registered against them. Those remaining in custody are being held at the Rangers' headquarters in Karachi.

Comrade Bilawal Baloch from Quetta is suspected to have been abducted by the armed forces of Pakistan. He attended the protest held yesterday in front of the Karachi Press Club, which was called by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), and was heading back from there to his home in Quetta. But his mobile phone is permanently off and nobody has been able to contact him.

Six comrades of the IMT were abducted today in Karachi by the Army and Sindh Rangers, a paramilitary state department notorious for extra-judicial killings. We need to raise this in the labour and student movements around the world. We need messages of protest and of solidarity. Act now!

A new Pashtun movement has erupted in Pakistan, mobilizing hundreds-of-thousands of people across the country, with tens-of-thousands attending its public meetings. The state apparatus and the entire ruling class, including all establishment political parties, are trembling at the sight of this huge movement, which originated from the most backward areas of the country – where it was least expected.

A great victory has been won by striking workers of the Pepsi-Cola factory in Faisalabad, industrial hub of Pakistan. On 29 January 2018, almost 250 workers completely shut the factory down in solidarity with three colleagues who had been laid-off by the administration without prior notice. The three workers who were fired actively motivated their colleagues to raise the demand for an increase in their daily wages. The workers' militant action put the bosses under severe pressure and eventually forced them to buckle.

Comrade Adam Pal opened the morning session of the second day of the congress with a highly informative and engaging lead-off on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Adam explained that, contrary to the promises of milk and honey from the Pakistani ruling class, CPEC in reality means increased misery and exploitation for the masses.

The 2nd Congress of Lal Salaam, the Pakistan section of the International Marxist Tendency, commenced its session on Saturday the 20th of January at the Aiwan-E-Iqbal Center in Lahore.

I had only just arrived in Lahore, Pakistan when I was informed this morning of the death of my old friend Munnu Bhai. The news produced in me a profound sense of sadness and loss. I had known Munnu Bhai for a period of more than 20 years, during which we established a close and rewarding friendship. I knew him as a highly talented and respected journalist, a fine poet and a man of great culture and personal charm. He also had a wicked sense of humor and would frequently burst into bouts of uncontrollable and infectious laughter in the course of our conversations about politics, literature and philosophy.

On August 18th the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) organised its founding convention at Hill Top hall in Rawlakot, Kashmir. More than 450 students participated and the revolutionary spirit ran high. More than 100 students had come from cities across Pakistan to attend this historic beginning, while other participants were students from various educational institutes of Pakistani-occupied Kashmir.

The Progressive Youth Alliance is organizing students across Pakistan, to keep alive the struggle of Mashal Khan and fight for the basic rights of students.

مشعل کی شہادت پاکستان میں ابھرتی ہوئی طلبہ تحریک میں ایک نئے باب کا اضافہ ہے۔ مشعل کی جدوجہد اور قربانی کو سرخ سلام پیش کرتے ہیں اور یہ عزم کرتے ہیں کہ اس کی جدوجہد کو جاری رکھیں گے۔ مشعل کا قتل پولیس، فوج اور سیکیورٹی سمیت اس ٹوٹ کر بکھرتی ریاست کی ناکامی کا منہ بولتا ثبوت ہے۔ مشعل کا بہیمانہ قتل اس بات کا واضح ثبوت ہے کہ پولیس، فوج سمیت تمام ادارے ناکام ہوچکے ہیں۔ تعلیمی اداروں کی سیکیورٹی طلبہ کو اپنے ہاتھ میں لینی ہوگی۔ مشعل کی جدوجہد کو جاری رکھنا ہمارا انقلابی فریضہ ہے۔ مشعل کے بہیمانہ قتل میں شریک پولیس، فوج، یونیورسٹی انتظامیہ اور دہشت گرد طلبہ تنظیموں کے افراد کو فوری سزائے موت دی جائے ۔مشعل کا قاتل یہ سرمایہ دارانہ نظام اور اس کا حکمران طبقہ ہے اور اس نظام زر کو اکھاڑ پھینک کر

دودھ کا دودھ اورپانی کا پانی ہو چکا۔ مشال کے قتل کے اصل محرکات چھپانے کی ہر کوشش بری طرح ناکام ہو ئی ہے۔ اس ناکامی سے دلبرداشتہ پالیسی سازوں نے اب پاناما کیس اور دیگر نان ایشوز میں عوامی غم وغصے کو زائل کرنے کی واردات شروع کر دی ہے۔ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ مٹھی بھر جنونی ملاؤں اور مذہبی وحشیوں کے علاوہ آبادی کی بھاری اکثریت نے مشال خان کے قتل پر نہ صرف خون کے آنسو بہائے ہیں بلکہ ریاست، نظام، حکمرانوں، ملاؤں اور سیاستدانوں کے خلاف دل کھول کر نفرت اور حقارت کا اظہار بھی کیا ہے۔ جوں جوں مشال خان قتل کیس میں پیشرفت ہو رہی ہے یہ غم و غصہ کم ہونے کی بجائے بڑھتا ہی جا رہا ہے۔ یاد رہے کہ شروع میں اس بہیمانہ واقعے کی خبر کو ہی دبانے کی کوشش کی گئی تھی۔ لیکن دوسرے دن جونہی یہ خبر اور اس کی ویڈیو سوشل

On 22nd April, the Progressive Youth Alliance held its Lahore city-wide convention at Al Hamra Hall, dedicating the event to Mashal Khan. More than a hundred students from various universities across Lahore participated in the convention, and delegates from other cities’ universities were also present to address the convention. A new executive body was also elected. The atmosphere was one of anger, directed at the killing of Mashal Khan, a 23 year old journalism student at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, who was lynched after he was falsely accused of blasphemy.