Workers' Liberty

As General Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation — in an unscheduled nationally televised speech of one hour — private television channels showed an instant response of jubilation, welcoming the decision, in all four provinces.

I am from the Labour Party Pakistan, although I am embarrassed to say “Labour Party” when I come to Britain! But it meets the objective reality in Pakistan, where there has been no such class-based party before.

At an AWL meeting in London on 28 February, Faryal Velmi spoke about Pakistan after the recent elections. In those elections the two main opposition parties — the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) — topped the poll and will have a dominant presence in the next parliament.

The tumultuous political scene in Pakistan, took an unexpected turn on 18 February, when President Musharaf’s political party Pakistan Muslim League ‘Q’ took a battering in the general election.

As we go to press, unofficial results show the Pakistan People’s Party, the party of assassinated ex-prime minster Benazir Bhutto, has won 86 seats out of 256 National Assembly seats. The PPP won a clear majority in the southern province of Sindh and have enough seats to rule the federal government there.

The new Pakistani general [Musharraf], he’s just been elected — not elected, this guy took over office. It appears this guy is going to bring stability to the country, and I think that’s good news for the subcontinent. (George W Bush, 1999)

PERVEZ Musharraf has stood down as head of the armed forces and been sworn in a civilian President. Thus he has achieved what he set out to do by imposing a state of emergency on 3 November and sacking the judges who ruled his continuance as President was unconstitutional. Many opponents of his regime remain in jail. Although Musharraf has called elections for 8 January, he has not ended the state of emergency.

At the time of writing it is three weeks into General Pervez Musharraf’s full-scale “emergency” military rule in Pakistan. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of lawyers, civil and human rights activists and trade unionists remain in jail.

Why did Pakistan’s military ruler General Musharraf risk millions of dollars in military and other financial aid from the US and EU by declaring martial law on 3 November?

"It was agreed that I will not come out in the open but will be active in organising the movement until my arrest at my post. We will not accept the dictatorial measures, we will organise demonstrations and will ask comrades to be ready for more arrests...."
Other postings from Farooq Tariq's diary here.

From the LabourStart website

Repression of opposition groups, including the socialist Labour Party, Pakistan continues. At the end of September ten members, including General Secretary Farooq Tariq, were arrested, at a protest against General Pervez Musharraf filing nomination papers for a second presidential term.

From the Labour Party of Pakistan

Farooq Tariq is the General Secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan. He explains how he has been caught up in the government’s suppression of opposition parties.

General Pervez Musharraf’s eight year grip on political power in Pakistan looks increasingly precarious.

From the Labour Party Pakistan, Tuesday 19 June 2007

Dear All!

Lahore: After 15 days of detention, Labour Party General Secretary General Farooq Tariq was released on Tuesday (19 June) from Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore.

BY Mike Rowley

Pakistan is going through a period of heightened struggle against the military-based government of Pervez Musharraf. The current struggles began in earnest on 14 May when a general strike shut down Pakistan’s major cities, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Quetta.

Farooq Tariq, general secretary of the socialist group Labour Party of Pakistan, has been released from prison following his detention without charge by Pakistani security forces. Released on 19 June after a 16-day detention, Tariq describes his imprisonment as “one the of worst jail experiences I’ve had during my 30 years of political activism”.

From the Labour Party of Pakistan.

Lahore: Farooq Tariq, General Secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan, was arrested on 5 June at his residence without warrants. On Thursday 7 June he was sent to Bahawalpur Jail after the issue of three-month detention order by the home secretary of Punjab. Farooq Tariq's detention is a part of recent state crack down on political activists and workers, against the backdrop of the lawyers' and media workers' movement against the Mushrraf regime.

Farooq Tariq, general secretary of the Labour Party of Pakistan, a significant revolutionary left group which opposes Pakistan’s military regime, its US backers and political Islam, was arrested for four days earlier this month.

Letter from Labour Party Pakistan

The General Secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan, comrade Farooq Tariq was arrested from his Lahore office by a heavy contingent of Punjab Police at 1:30 p.m on Friday 4 May. He has been taken to Garhi Shahu police station, Lahore, where he is being detained.

By Sacha Ismail

London and Washington's favourite military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, has been in power since 2000 and “constitutional” president of Pakistan since 2002. This year, he plans to have himself re-elected for another five term, and is determined to crush anyone who gets in his way.

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Why does the USA breed violence?

South Africa

Hundreds of thousands of workers in South Africa supported a one-day general strike in protest against job losses on 18 May.

By Pablo Velasco

Pakistan

Six Pakistani left parties and groups have united to form Awami Jamhoori Tehreek (AJT — the People’s Democratic Movement), which has the potential to become the fifth-largest political group in Pakistan. The AJT aims to contest the 2007 elections.

By Farooq Tariq, general secretary, Labour Party Pakistan

According to the latest official figures, over 53,000 are confirmed death after the 8 October earthquake. Unofficial figures for the death toll are over 100,000 and more seriously injured.

It is too early to know what effect the earthquake will have on the volatile political conditions inside Pakistan, but it is certain to exacerbate existing trends. Cathy Nugent reports

According to socialists and trade unionists, current Pakistani government estimates of casualties (40,000) from the 9 October earthquake are far too low. The figure could rise to 100,000 or more.

The earthquake in Pakistan has killed 35,000 people, and made about two million homeless. Or rather, not just the earthquake. The earthquake, plus inequality, poverty, and undemocratic rule.

By Amina Saddiq

For three weeks in May and June Pakistan saw an upsurge in class struggle, with the military regime forced to seize physical control of the country’s state-owned telecom corporation and arrest over a thousand telecom workers in order to force through its privatisation plans. The Employees’ Union has now signed a deal with the government allowing privatisation to go ahead, but a rank and file organisation of telecom workers is still opposing the privatiation.