The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign national organiser, Khalid Bhatti, reports on what the situation is like for workers in Pakistan and the role of the PTUDC in fighting for workers' and trade union rights.

"In the first decade of “the end of history” and the “new world order” the “only super power” in the world is yet again engaged in another major war of aggression. As the missiles and bombs of the imperialist assault devastate the already ruined and rugged landscape of this unfortunate country, its impact will go far beyond the borders of Afghanistan. The echelons of power and the regimes across Asia are trembling in their shoes. These already decaying states are being shaken to their foundations. Starting from the Pakistan dictatorship the rulers of the whole region terrified about the fate of their rule." Editorial of the Autumn issue of the Asian Marxist Review.

On September 18, 2001, the daily newspaper DAWN, the biggest English language paper in Pakistan carried a complimentary review of the Urdu edition of Reason in Revolt: Marxist Philosophy and Modern Science, the book by Alan Woods and Ted Grant. (You can get a copy of the English original through the Wellred Books on-line bookshop.)

The partition of India was one of the greatest crimes of British Imperialism. This was not to an act to defend the Muslims or the Hindus but to split and wreck the national liberation movement which they had failed to defeat by force of arms. The present states of India and Pakistan were created over the bones of the millions who died during the bloodshed unleashed. Lal Khan's book covers the history of the subcontinent from the Raj to the present day and demonstrates that a socialist federation of the subcontinent is the only way forward. Available now at WellRed On-line Bookshop.

Another General has completed another year of despotic military rule in Pakistan and the army has exposed itself even further.  A new wave of state repression is beginning to unfold, exhibiting the desperation of the Generals in their failure to solve anything. The patience of the masses is rapidly wearing thin. All the outlets for venting their anger and frustrations have been blocked. This means that the rage of the masses is building up very fast. The more their outburst is delayed the greater will be the explosion.

In this post cold war epoch one of the most significant phenomena which has come to the fore is Islamic fundamentalism. There are several forms of fundamentalism linked to movements of revivalism of various religions, yet internationally Islamic fundamentalism is more pronounced and widespread. In large parts of Asia and Africa it has become the focal point of political activity in a unipolar world rapidly spinning out of control of the "sole super power" (US imperialism). It has increasingly become a threat to the existing social order. But what is Islamic fundamentalism and what are its real prospects? Although it is not a new phenomenon, in recent times it has attained a vicious and virulent character. Modern fundamentalism in reality is a reactionary culmination of the trends of Islamic revivalism in an epoch of modern world economy and politics.