Asia

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Indian independence from British rule. In reality, the partition of India in 1947 cut through the living body of whole communities, leading to untold death and misery. This was all part of the tried and tested method of “divide and rule” and behind it lay the interests of privileged ruling elites, not those of the poor masses.

There are very repressive labour laws in the United Arab Emirates. In spite of this a strike has erupted at the Consolidated Construction International Company (CCIC) in Abu Dhabi. The official media is not reporting on this. Send the government and the company a message letting them know we know what is going on.

The recent dramatic events at the Red Mosque in Islamabad cannot be understood unless one looks below the surface at the real situation in Pakistan. The state in its various forms has fostered Islamic fundamentalism over a long period. That explains the slow and bungled reaction of Musharraf. It also reveals the deep crisis afflicting the whole of Pakistani society.

We recently interviewed comrade Kohila, a leading member of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (Socialist Party of Malaysia), while she was over in London. Before the interview she asked us to explain what the International Marxist Tendency (IMT), is, in which countries it is based and what are its basic principles.

In this first article Jamil Iqbal outlines Marx’s analysis of how British imperialism, by introducing capitalist methods, broke down the old Asiatic mode of production and with it the old type of social structures. The British capitalists did this simply to facilitate the exploitation of Indian resources and labour, but by so doing also prepared the ground for the modern struggle against British imperialism.

Sindhi nationalism is an expression of the impasses the masses in Sindh face under the oppressive feudal-capitalist regime that dominates the whole of Pakistan. Genuine Sindhi liberation in today's context can only be achieved through socialist revolution and the unity of the workers of all nationalities. Dr Beenish Shoro looks at the Sindhi national conquest from a Marxist point of view.

In spite of being of key importance to the functioning and safety of the Pakistan railways, the workers of the Signals Department are constantly harassed and abused by the railway authorities, up to and including the threat of police measures. These workers are reaching the limit of what they can take and are now threatening strike action.

The carnage and the mayhem in Karachi on May 12 is another reminder of the rapidly deteriorating socio-economic and political situation in Pakistan. In the last seven years the quasi-military regime in Pakistan has been lurching from one crisis to another.

On the night of May 5, 2007 a cricket tournament was organized by Berozgaar Nojawaan Tehreek (BNT), in Lahore. The revolutionary speeches given during the tournament exposed the lack of facilities and poor infrastructure not only in the field of sports but in all other fields of life.

The burning mud-bowl procession of May 1 was the most glorious in the history of Kasur. It was organised by the PTUDC in collaboration with the People's Party Kasur. Workers from some twenty unions took an active part in the procession.

May Day rallies and meetings were held all across Pakistan and Kashmir earlier this week. The PTUDC and The Struggleplayed a large role in commemorating May 1st. we publish here some of the reports and photos of the magnificent mobilisation of the working class in Pakistan.

Punjab schoolteachers have launched a struggle in defence of their rights and for improved working conditions. The Punjab government has not paid the allowances announced in the last budget and are now planning to privatise the schools which were put under state control in the 1970s.

After the successful mobilisation of stationmasters at Pakistan Railways, the signal staff have taken action for the improvement of their working conditions. Monstrously exploited, and working according to pay scales which have not changed since 1974, the workers are organising to struggle for their rights.