Youth for International Socialism held its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Lahore on the 3 and 4 of January 2004. More than 50 delegates from all over the country participated in the meeting. To mobilize the youth against rampant unemployment a campaign should be started with the name of 'Unemployed Youth Movement' - 'Bayrozgar Nogawaan Tehreek' (BNT).
The agenda of the first session was world perspectives and was chaired by Comrade Nadir Aafaq. The lead off was given by Comrade Manzoor, MNA (Member of National Assembly). Comrade Manzoor said that the world of today is engulfed in unprecedented economic, political, social and diplomatic instability. The present crisis of imperialism is not accidental but on the contrary it is the reflection of the revolt of the productive forces that have outgrown the straightjackets of the nation state and private property.
This is the most unstable period since 1945. War is a graphic expression of the intense sharpening of the contradictions such as we are witnessing in Afghanistan and Iraq. American imperialism is ruining country after country. The impotence and apathy of the United Nations stands miserably exposed. Other institutions of imperialist rule including NATO, the European Union and NAFTA have wavered. While the imperialist war on Iraq led to the capture of Saddam Hussein and the downfall of his regime, it has not given Bush and Blair the results they had hoped for. The ruling classes have no solution.
Revolutions have rocked one country after another throughout Latin America. The South Asian subcontinent has been dominated by intense war hysteria throughout 2003, and the ruling elite are now are now promoting peace and friendship. The SAARC summit in Islamabad will not and cannot solve any of the fundamental issues faced by these impoverished societies.
The ruling class of the present failing system has no solution to the problems they face. They can neither go for reforms nor they can save the system by any other means. The working class is the only decisive power that can change the system by overthrowing it and replacing it with the socialism.
In the second session comrade Yasir Irshad spoke on the organization while comrade Aaraz Chaired the session. In this session comrade Yasir said that YFIS must build a mass organization of youth and students. Which can only be done by spreading awareness amongst the youth and students regarding various fundamental issues and their solutions. We should take the programme of YFIS to the layers of youth and students on a broader scale and then by educating them build a mass revolutionary party which would have the ability to overthrow this system through a socialist revolution.
In the third session comrade Hina spoke on the Unemployed Youth Movement (BNT) while comrade Abdullah chaired the session. She began her speech by giving the latest figures on the condition and situation of the youth in the country. She said that Pakistani society is the most unbalanced society of the world. More than 56% of the population consists of people under 18 years of age. 86% of the population is living beneath the poverty line. There is no education, culture, sports or any other type of entertainment. The decay of capitalism, with the support of fundamental extremism, has thrown youth into a quagmire of a lower cultural level, terrorism and pessimism. The youth, badly suffering in this situation, desperately require a way out from the hell of capitalism. In Pakistan, more than 34 million people are unemployed, including a large number of young people. She said also that the BNT has two major tasks:
First, the programme and ideas of YFIS must be spread to the broader layers of youth to mobilize the fight for their fundamental rights. Second, to strengthen the Marxist International by educating the youth and arming them with Marxist ideas.
The meeting concluded with a unanimous decision to organize the campaign committees at every city and district level. A signature campaign will be started for this movement. A leaflet will also be printed to approach the youth in large numbers. The Marxist members of parliament will submit a bill to highlight the issue of unemployment.
After the submission of the bill, public agitation and demonstrations will be held on a greater scale. A great protest will also be organized in front of parliament.
At the end of the meeting an organizing committee of the BNT was elected. It was also decided to strengthen the movement by initiating an international campaign. At the end of the meeting the members of the NEC met the press and media and briefed the media and general public about the campaign.