In spite of growing political apathy in society, a huge participation was observed in the congress of Marxists in Kashmir. More than 400 comrades and sympathisers from across Kashmir gathered in Rawalakot on 28th June to attend a one-day regional congress.

Comrade Gulbaz chaired the congress, while Comrade Adam Pal gave a detailed lead-off on World Political and Economic Perspectives. He explained the historical reasons for the prolonged economic crisis with no signs of recovery in the near future and its impact on societies across the globe. He said that we were repeatedly writing in our perspectives documents and articles that every attempt of the ruling class to stabilize the economy will further destabilize the social and political equilibrium.

What we are witnessing across the planet is wave after wave of mass uprisings, strikes and protests of youth, working class and ordinary masses against the capitalist system as a whole. These are not protests just for economic demands but in every protest movement we can see banners and hear slogans against capitalism. This is just the beginning of a stormy period of revolutions and counter-revolutions on a world scale. The working class and youth are starting to enter the world’s political arena after a long period of relative inertia, especially in the industrially developed countries. But the situation in the so-called developing and underdeveloped countries is more unstable and explosive.

The wave of the Arab revolution and the counter-revolutionary civil wars in Syria and Iraq are threatening all regimes in the Middle East. The unleashing of Islamic terrorism and the sectarian civil war in Iraq is a real danger to it as a country. These events graphically show what the capitalist system can offer to humanity in its period of senile decay. The situation facing the masses on the South Asian subcontinent is worse than ever. More than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. Religious and sectarian killings are on the rise and becoming the norm. Violence against women, rape and honour killings are becoming the symbols of the world’s biggest ‘democracy’. Brutal state oppression of different nationalities and periodic killings of religious minorities are also becoming a routine.

Religious terrorism in Pakistan is becoming a war between different sections of the state, and the intervention of different imperialist and regional powers in this black war is further complicating it and making it more widespread and more violent. Peace talks with these gangsters are as farcical as the ongoing military operations against them. This monster of terrorism is a creation of capitalism and it can be eradicated only when its creator, the capitalist system, is overthrown.

The capitalism of the subcontinent is a curse for the workers and masses, but it is worse for the oppressed nationalities, especially for the Kashmiri masses and youth.  No ideology can offer a viable solution to the national question except Marxism. Bourgeois nationalism, Stalinism and religious terrorism in the recent past have failed the marvellous independence struggle of the Kashmiri youth and workers. That is one of the reasons why the ideas of Marxism are spreading rapidly among the youth and students in Kashmir. Only a class struggle of the Kashmiri masses linked with the struggle of the workers of Pakistan and India, and firmly based on the ideas of Marxism, can overthrow rotten capitalism and achieve genuine freedom with decent living standards, full employment, free education and health facilities and full collective control of their natural resources. Such a change in Kashmir or either side of the sub-continent will spark a revolutionary flame that will spread like wildfire across Asia and the whole world.  

Following his lead off there was time for questions and discussion in which comrades Zaheer, Jameel, Haleem, Khalil, Yasir and Aamna all contributed. Comrade Rashid Shaikh presented the regional organisational report, targets for the next three months and a slate for the new regional leadership.

Adam Pal summed up the discussion and answered the questions. He also raised the question of the absence of the subjective factor in the movements unfolding across the planet and emphasised the role of IMT comrades in this. The future of humanity depends on the working class, but also on the the forces of Marxism who must build a mass revolutionary alternative on a world scale. But the task of building a revolutionary mass party on a world scale begins at home where we are working. If we build a considerable force based on the ideas of Marxism in Pakistan during the next period the course of history will change. The forces of the IMT in Pakistan will strengthen it internationally. It is our historical task and we will fulfill it.

Long live the IMT!
Long live the world socialist revolution!
The congress formally closed with singing the International.

After congress a rally was held in solidarity with the workers on strike. Kashmiri workers of the service sector were on strike for a wage rise and better hours. At the end of the rally comrade Zaheer, president of the PTUDC in Kashmir, delivered a speech in support of the strike.