Pakistan

The partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan, apart from being a reactionary political act, caused one of the biggest bloodbaths in history. The memory of partition is still painful for those wounded by it. The liberation of Kashmir will not come from UN resolutions or the charity of the imperialist masters. It will come through the revolutionary struggle of the Kashmiri masses, which they have carried on with such courage and bravery for so long.

The PTUDC’s fourth revolutionary solidarity caravan entered Pakistan through the Wagah checkpoint from India on November 6. There were four large trucks on this caravan carrying relief goods including 522 large tents, 4000 blankets, 300 quilts, 500 bamboos, flour, tea, sugar and other basic necessities. This is the second caravan to arrive from India in support of the PTUDC’s relief campaign.

More than half a century after the partition of India and the end of direct British rule, Kashmir is still a festering wound. The resolution of this conflict seems to be as far away as ever. Three and a half wars and several decades of official and “track two” diplomacy have failed to resolve this traumatic issue in the Indian subcontinent.

Lal Khan analyses the history of Kashmir from Mauryan Empire, to the conquest of the valley by the Mughals, to the Afghan invasion, and finally to the rule of the British and the Dogras.  Pre-partition Kashmir was in reality a hellhole for the masses. This is the background behind which the criminal partition of the subcontinent was carried out. Fifty-eight years since partition, there has been no respite in this torment.

We have received the following report from Pakistan about the proposed privatisation of Pakistan Steel Mills. Amidst the devastation and destruction caused by last month's earthquake, the Musharraf regime is preparing to launch further attacks on the rights and conditions of the working class.

We have received a report from the comrades on the ground in Kashmir. Despite the devastation and the loss of life the work of the PTUDC continues to move forward and the moral of the comrades remains high.

We have received a report from the comrades on the ground in Kashmir. Despite the devastation and the loss of life the work of the PTUDC continues to move forward and the moral of the comrades remains high.

Marxist MP Manzoor Ahmed was recently in Kashmir with the PTUDC's third Revolutionary Solidarity Caravan. We have received this report along with some photographs of his trip to some of the worst hit areas in Kashmir.

Lal Khan analyses the world situation, looking at the economic and political turmoil all across the world. From this analysis he draws one conclusion: the human race must put an end to the capitalist system before the capitalist system puts an end to the human race.

We have all seen the reports in the media about the lack of doctors and medical supplies in the areas of Kashmir affected by the earthquake. As a result the PTUDC has established a series of medical camps in Kashmir. Under the banner of the PTUDC’s “Revolutionary Solidarity Camp” a team of doctors, composed of comrades from Hyderabad, went to Rawlakot to provide medical care to the thousands of people who have yet to receive any. We publish this report from the doctors on their activities at these camps.

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.

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.