Asia

The comrades in Pakistan were just about to publish a new book on Kashmir when the devastating earthquake hit three weeks ago. The comrades have been hard at work on their solidarity and relief operations. Given the current crisis in Kashmir, they have decided to go ahead with the publication of the book. We publish today the introduction by Alan Woods and the first chapter of the book.

An interesting letter from a reader in China, who points out that the dominant mode of production in that country is now capitalism. He asks the question; “following the full market economy then how can we class the current leadership of China, what class are they supporting?”

On Wednesday October 26, the regimes on both sides of the India-Pakistan border finally allowed three truckloads of relief goods to enter Pakistan from India. This is the third PTUDC solidarity caravan for Kashmir, and was organised jointly by MPs and PTUDC supporters in both India and Kashmir.

The gruesome nature of the capitalist system is being exposed by the heinous acts of businessmen, who like vultures are poaching and scavenging on the miseries of the victims of the Kashmir earthquake. All the local bosses can think of is that rehabilitation will boost economic growth as more products are consumed in the effort to rebuild the area.

The situation in Pakistan and Kashmir is becoming desperate. The UN has revealed that the current crisis may be the greatest disaster ever faced - even bigger than last year's tsunami.

We have received some photos from our relief camps in Kashmir. The photos show of the trucks that travelled with the PTUDC's solidarity caravan, our relief camps, as well as some of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

The magazine “New Popular Weekly” of the biggest Polish trade union federation, the OPZZ, has taken up the appeal from the PTUDC for help in relief work in the earthquake stricken zones.

The PTUDC Revolutionary Solidarity Caravan has arrived in Kashmir! We publish here a report of the caravan's journey and arrival, and explain some of the problems that the caravan has encountered.

As the Pakistani Marxists are taking part in relief operations in Kashmir, Alan Woods, on behalf of the International Marxist Tendency, has addressed a letter to the Kashmiri people, which is being read out in all the relief camps that have been set up.

We have received three press statements from left groups in the Philippines. Although we may not agree with every detail of these statements, we are publishing them for the interest of our readers together with an accompanying letter which helps to understand the context in which they are written.