A huge rally and conference was organised by the Jammu Kashmir National Student Federation (JKNSF) on June 24. Lal Khan was one of the main speakers, stressing the point that genuine self-determination for the Kashmiri people can only be achieved as part of a socialist federation of the whole of the South Asian subcontinent.
On June 24th 2010, a rally was organized by the Jammu Kashmir National Student Federation (JKNSF) which started from Rawlakot College Ground. The rally was led by comrade Amjad Shahsawar (Chairman of the JKNSF) and thousands of youth from all over Kashmir participated. The demonstrators raised revolutionary slogans such as "Inqalab, Inqalab, Socialist Inqalab" (Revolution, Revolution, Socialist Revolution), "Kali raat jaway e jaway-Surkh sawera away e aaway" (A red dawn will end this dark night) etc. After passing through the whole city, the rally joined the Kashmir Revolutionary Conference which was being organized at the Sabir Shaheed Stadium.
The Conference was chaired by comrade Amjad Shahsawar, and comrade Lal Khan was invited as guest of honour. Yousuf Tarigami (General Secretary of the CPI(M) Jammu & Kashmir and a Member of Parliament in the State Assembly) made a special telephonic speech from Srinagar (Indian occupied Kashmir). In their speeches the participants emphasised that Capitalism as a world economic system long ago ceased to play any progressive role and can now give humanity nothing but poverty, hunger, unemployment, wars, price hikes and terrorism. The ruling class is following the policies of imperialism and wants to extract as much as possible from the poor working class. The ruling classes of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and America are responsible for the massacre of the masses in the name of the so-called “War against Terrorism”. On the other hand, the IMF, World Bank and other imperialist institutions through their policies are carrying out economic terrorism all over the world. Young people are committing suicide because of unemployment and women are forced by poverty to sell their bodies.
Comrade Lal Khan said that we are against all kind of divisions, whether it be in the name of religion or ethnicity. In 1947 a bloody line was drawn through the subcontinent in the name of religion and 2.7 million people lost their lives because of it. The ruling classes of both India and Pakistan organized this division for the sake of separate and independent markets with less competition in order to increase their own profits. Due to the artificial division of the Punjab, Bengal and Kashmir, the masses on both sides are suffering to this day. In this era of international imperialism, the national independence of Kashmir is only possible through a socialist agenda which would bring the working class of Kashmir, India and Pakistan onto one platform forming a Socialist Federation of the South Asian Subcontinent. Only in such a society can economic stability and religious harmony be achieved on a proletarian basis. Humanity has two choices before it, Socialism or Barbarism, and the struggle for Socialism needs to be stepped up. We will carry on our struggle along scientific lines and the time in which a Socialist Federation of the whole world is not too far off in the future.
Discussing the current situation of the Pakistan People’s Party, Lal Khan said that it is written in the founding documents of the PPP that the ultimate purpose of party policies should be a classless society which is only possible through socialism. With reference to the national independence of Kashmir, he said that only through a socialist revolution can the right of self determination be achieved, as without economic independence there is no independence at all.
In his telephonic address to the conference comrade Yousuf Tarigami said that the working class should struggle for a better world ignoring all geographical divisions. The proletariat all over the world should unite against exploitation and only through this unity can we achieve a society fit for humanity. Even a very brief analysis of history tells us that the only way out of this oppressive exploitative system is socialism.
Comrade Jawad Ahmad said that only a system based on equality can solve the problems facing humanity. He then sang a revolutionary poem of Faiz Ahmed Faiz which enthused the audience.
Comrade Zuhaib Butt, president of the Punjab People’s Students Federation saluted the struggles of the students of the JKNSF and said that we will join hands to eradicate poverty, ignorance and suffering in this region together through a socialist revolution.
Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, President of the JKPP saluted the struggle of the JKNSF, although expressing his political differences. Comrade Ali Wazir from Waziristan said that in his region the Army and the Taliban are both killing innocent people and this is in a battle over the control of narcotics and arms smuggling. He said that he come to get renewed energy and strength to fight against these forces of black reaction which can only be removed through a socialist revolution.
Comrade Riaz Hussain Baluch, president of the PTUDC, and comrade Ilyas Khan, Secretary General of the Pakistan People’s Lawyers Forum also expressed solidarity for the struggle of independence of Kashmir and emphasized that only socialism is the solution to the burning issue of Kashmir.
At the end comrade Amjad Shahsawar, Chairman of the JKNSF, thanked all the participants and said that we will continue our struggle till the socialist victory.
Others who spoke at the occasion were Sardar Sagher Khan (Chairman JKLF), Habib-ur-Rehman (PSF), Dr. Hareesh Kumar (Editor The Struggle Sindhi Edition), comrade Rashid Sheikh (General Secretary JKNSF), comrade Rehana Akhtar, Sumera Saeed, comrade Basharat Ali (District President JKNSF), Faran Mushtaq, Waseem Abbasi (Former Chief Organizer JKNSF), Ghazanfer (PSF AJK) and many others. Comrade Sajid Kashir was the stage secretary.