PTUDC Update: Relief goods still held by the army, but another Caravan is planned Pakistan Share Tweet We are publishing this update on the PTUDC’s Fifth Revolutionary Solidarity Caravan. The relief goods are being held by the Pakistani army and we have not yet been able to get them back. We are hoping that this situation will be resolved sometime next week. In the meantime, PTUDC supporters in India are organizing another caravan which should arrive in Pakistan next week. From there it will proceed to Kashmir. We reported earlier this week that the relief goods on the PTUDC’s Fifth Revolutionary Solidarity Caravan had been seized by the state at the border. The Caravan had been organized in India and was heading to the PTUDC’s relief camps in Kashmir. The Pakistani Army has taken the goods and is holding them at the border. The comrades are desperately trying to get the goods back, but this is proving difficult. We are still in negotiations with the Army and are hoping to have the goods back by next week. We will be publishing updates as we learn more about the situation. In the meantime another Caravan has been organized in India which will arrive in Pakistan and go to Lahore rather than try to get into Kashmir directly. From Lahore it will proceed to Kashmir. This way the goods should be able to arrive to the relief camps unimpeded. The fact that truckloads of relief goods destined for the victims of the earthquake have been taken by the Pakistani army is an absolute scandal. It completely exposes the hypocrisy and corruption of the Musharraf regime. It demonstrates that the regime and the army are not concerned with the well being of the helpless victims of this disaster but only in fulfilling their own self-serving interests. The PTUDC’s Solidarity Caravans have become a reality only through the hard work and selfless donations of people around the world – including the time, hard work, and money of countless poor and workers in India and Pakistan. The actions of the Musharraf regime are an absolute slap in the face to these people, who have sacrificed a lot to help make our Caravans a reality and provide relief and aid to their brothers and sisters in Kashmir and Pakistan. At a time when the countless millions affected by the earthquake are more vulnerable then ever, and at a time when the UN and other aid agencies are making urgent calls for more aid, the Musharraf regime has decided to sequester the PTUDC’s goods and withhold them from the people that need it most. It is difficult to think of something more despicable. As we explained before, it is these actions of the Musharraf regime, which prove beyond doubt their real attitude towards the poor millions, that will fuel the rage of the masses. The earthquake, and the regime’s inability to deal with the crisis have exposed the rottenness of the regime and will have revolutionary implications for the future of the Musharraf regime. Even as we speak, the Musharraf regime is using the trauma and shock of the earthquake to try and privatise Pakistan Steel Mills. They hope that while people are still mourning the dead and in shock at the devastation caused by the earthquake, that the privatisation of Pakistan Steel will go unnoticed. The PTUDC has launched a campaign to combat the privatisation, and will be holding a large meeting next week, supported by MPs, Senators, and some 20 trade unions, to plan a national campaign against the privatisation of Pakistan Steel. More reports will published about this campaign in the coming weeks. The situation is still desperate in Kashmir. As the winter settles in Kashmir and Pakistan face a new wave of death and devastation. Some 2.8 - 3.2 million people are without shelter and adequate food, water, and medical supplies. Millions have been left with no food. The UN has reported that only 39% of money promised internationally has actually arrived. Some 100,000 people who were injured in the quake may not survive the winter unless they receive food and shelter immediately. Pakistan and Kashmir face a second disaster if something is not done immediately. The PTUDC’s Earthquake Relief Campaign has been a success. We have managed to establish medical camps and relief camps which are providing shelter, food, and medicine to hundreds of people. These are long term establishments which are now involved in distributing goods across Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province, including the outlying villages and towns. We have managed to raise an excellent amount of money Again we would like to thank all of those who have donated their time and money to make this relief effort a reality and a success. But more must be done! Our relief campaign is a long-term project that will require funds to keep it going. We ask everyone to please donate what they can to help us in our efforts.
