Pakistani left?

[metalwraith]

Hey all, I'm from Pakistan, and while i don't believe in nationalism or borders, it would be best to try and bring about change where i live. What I've been wondering is, while there are plenty of online discussion groups and forums on Socialism/ The Leftist movement discussing Pakistan, is there a functional group/party that is engaged in activism? I know of workers parties, but from what i have seen, they are mostly a tool for the feudal aristocracy (just like all politics in this country) to rise to political power.
Politics in Pakistan is almost purely right-wing capitalist, irrespective of the labels that these groups use. There are no manifestos, no ideologies as such, just power hungry groups divided maily upon ethnic or religious backgrounds. The time has come for the people to be offered a true choice, for them to be educated on what their choices are. These are yet another people struggling under the yoke of the industrialists, the feudals and the theocrats. Change is needed, but there appear to be no real alternatives available to my people.
For fear of their lives, people who believe in change remain silent, not realising that their silence is the complacency that is slowly choking the common man. I for one have had enough of this complacency. The time has come for our voices to be heard. I want to make a stand, how do i go about it? Are there any other Pakistanis here who believe in bringing change, not waiting for it to magically appear? Someone talk to me.
I hadn't really meant for this post to seem like a rant, but once i started writing, i couldnt help it. The situation here is desperate.

[RedStarOverChina]

I hadn't really meant for this post to seem like a rant, but once i started writing, i couldnt help it. The situation here is desperate.
I have many Pakistani friends and trust me, u r not the only one when it comes to being annoyed at the situation.

A whole generation of Pakistani youth is looking around for change, which is alot better than believing everything is alright. (maybe it's just the elite of the Pakistani youth that sees the problem...)

[metalwraith]

Redstar, thanks for the reply.
I don't think it's just the elite that see the problem. Everyone knows the situation is pathetic, with the exception of those that benefit or support the vested interests and established powers. All I'm saying is, it's about time we started an actual movement. Far too often, for the elite the idea of socialism is acceptable as long as it doesn't become a practical reality. For the youth, it is far too often a case of "I want to be like the guy on the T-shirt" (referring of course to the ubiquotous Che merchandise), which gradually fades away as he settles into the job that daddy has provided. I just want to see some actual activism, a few raised fists. We're sitting on a powderkeg here, I'm asking my comrades to provide the spark. I want someone to stand with me and protest. I'd like to meet some like-minded people from my area, people who want to stand up and be counted.
Fuck glory, wealth and fame, i crave change. For the better.
Hell yeah, it's a rant, and I'm going to keep ranting til someone stands up with me, and then there'll be two voices ranting. And so on. So if you know of Pakistani's who give a shit, tell me about them, we need to start something, ANYTHING.
Thanks for listening.

[RedStarOverChina]

http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=766310

I gotta tell u that this website sucks(too slow). However it's worth a try. U'll have to register first, unfortunately...

Once u joined that website I just might have a few more friends to introduce to u.

U are right in the sense that all my pakistani friends are moderately left wing.

U know what I think the problem is? the 2 different education system, the british (for the elite) and the Pakistani system, which is considered a joke. This divides Pakistan into a polarized situation. The elites as we all know are not revolutionary, tho they are the ones reading about Marx and Engels. Where as the "commoners" receive a less than decent education, so they really cant reach towards Marxism and so forth.

The problem is even more severe as the elites decides to ignore the commoners and immigrate to other countries.

[RedStarOverChina]

by the way, dont have to thank me. I am very interested in knowing Pakistan's developement, and i'm alway glad to have conscientious Pakistani friends to discuss this with.

[metalwraith]

I'm already a member on that forum. And you'll notice by the topics and discussions there that the members are more interested in discussion than activism. And you're right, that website is way too slow, it takes hours just to post a message, that's why i rarely go there. Still, you're right, it's a start. I'm planning on organising a meeting soon, we'll see how it goes.

[OleMarxco]

You have a kick-ass avatar, comrade. WELL COME! :hammer:
(I just love one-liners! So, as Metalwrath says, JUDGE ME!..for sayin' "Fags" on purpose.)

[Karl Marx's Camel]

The revolutionary situation in Pakistan seemed a lot better compared to many other countries, without actually ever hearing the world "revolution" while I was there. It was like a silent revolution was going on in Pakistan. Something that was in everyone's minds, but on no one's lips. A magical and mysterious country indeed, for a westerner like myself.


Here's an idea:


The radical left in Pakistan should be organized on a national level, and the message of the revolution should be made comrehensible to the population. Grassroot political movement should be made on a local level; The political process should be driven by groups of ordinary citizens.


The Pakistani communists should gain control in the north-east. The Indian communists should strengthen or acquire control in the north, hooking them up to the Nepal Maoists, creating a single, coordinate front, from Northen Pakistan, to Northen India, to Nepal.

[American_Trotskyist]

Pakistan has a very militant left and is growing very strong, here are some links

Pakistan Trade Union Defence (http://www.ptudc.org/)

The Struggle's Congress (http://www.marxist.com/Asia/pakistan_congress_struggle05.htm)

[metalwraith]

Thanks for the links. A couple of small things i should point out though. These organisations are closely affiliated with the Pakistan People's Party, which is a left wing farce. These are people who have held power at many points in the history of Pakistan, but have in no way implemented reform at anything other than a superficial level. This is one of the phenomena that makes the situation here so uniquely desperate. Our left wing serves as little more than a stepping stone to power for those willing to exploit the masses. More often than not, this party and it's affiliates can be found cutting deals with the very power groups that the left is meant to fight against in order to come to power, or maintain their chokehold in those areas where it exists. I've had enough of watching people exploit in the name of liberation. I want to see an independent group of people, devoid of the corrupting influence of power within our current system. Someone to start a truly grassroots movement, one without icons and leaders of the established kind. People able to look beyond sloganeering and jingo-ism, willing to actually rise up and make their voices heard. That's where i find that the established left wing in Pakistan is non-existent. These are people who have spent the past fifty years talking amongst themselves, while the rape of the masses goes on. You will also note that the PTUDC is based outside of Pakistan. What appeal do you think a moveent of this sort actually has for the illiterate poor within the country. All they see are more people sitting far away, unable to truly empathise with their plight, asking them for their support. The working class has too often laid its lives down for absentee leadership, to no avail.
I could go on for a while, but the point I'm trying to make is that there has been talk since Pakistan's inception, I'd just like to meet a few like minded individuals who would like to join me, or indeed have me join them in action. That can't be all that much to ask in a nation of over 171 million.
The militancy you speak of is limited to pointless strikes which invariably have political figures at the helm, figures i refuse to support simply because they exploit the left wing and it's ideological appeal to the workers in order to rise to power. Once they achieve power all they have ever done is grow complacent and fat and wealthy. I no longer believe that change can come from within, this system is corrupt to the point that change is stifled before it can begin. It was the leaders of this left wing that in the seventies catered to the religious right in order to expand it's support base, helping create the monster that is religious politics in Pakistan today. It was this left wing that in the seventies allowed the formation of the roots of military autonomy that has led to the juggernaut that still controls Pakistan. This is the same left wing that in the eighties and nighties rose to power on the basis of popular support and managed to use multiple electoral victories only to accumualte personal wealth. So like i said, where exactly is the left in Pakistan?
All this aside however, the links are a beacon of hope in the sense that i now have somewhere to look for people who feel the way i do. And i mean it, Thanks.
NWOG, i haveta tell you, Pakistan has been like this for years. The problem is, the silent revolution exists only in the minds of the people. Someone needs to tell them how to translate that into action.
OleMarxo, yeah, i kinda like it myself. And thanks for the welcome. :hammer:

[RedStarOverChina]

Hey, metalwraith, whats ur name on orkut?

or u can find me by searching for "Jinhan". Even tho its slow for forums its a pretty good device for keeping personal contact.