Pakistan: first communist school held by the Revolutionary Communist Party – the communists are coming!

Between 9 and 12 August, the Revolutionary Communist Party in Pakistan organised their first country-wide three-day ‘Communist School’ in Rawalakot, ‘Azad’ (‘free’) Kashmir, with 350 students, workers, farmers and youth attending.

[Originally published in Urdu at marxist.pk]

The purpose of this school was to equip a new layer of revolutionaries with communist ideas, to clarify the tasks of the present epoch for the communists, and to set a course for the stormy period to come.

This three-day communist school was not an academic seminar in which self-aggrandising speakers flaunted their knowledge and intellect. Nor was the aim of the more than 350 students, workers, farmers and youth – who travelled from places as far as the remote areas of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan – simply to increase their knowledge to improve their careers.

Rather, in spite of the high cost of travel and Pakistan’s crippling inflation, all these people attended the event to learn the revolutionary ideas that would guide them in overthrowing the capitalist system which serves the rich. In other words, these were more than 350 people who spent thousands of rupees to come and learn revolutionary ideas that could make them into soldiers of the class war, to stand up against the ruling class and their state.

The crisis of capitalism and world revolution

The first day started with revolutionary poetry, with communists from different parts of the country presenting revolutionary poems and songs in different languages. After that, the first session of the school began.

Comrade Yasir Irshad from ‘Azad’ Kashmir led the first discussion / Image: RCP

The title of the first session was “The crisis of capitalism and the perspectives for world revolution”. Comrade Yasir Irshad from ‘Azad’ Kashmir led the discussion, which was chaired by Salma Nazar from Lahore.

One question circulated in everyone's mind: what has happened to the world? Today there is not a single region that is safe from economic, political and social crises. From the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel's atrocities in Palestine, the US-China conflict in Taiwan, tensions between South and North Korea, civil wars in several countries, increasing global inflation and unemployment, to the threat of climate change – this is the state of the world today.

Given this state of affairs, many people are drawing apocalyptic conclusions. This is exactly the mood that existed at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. People felt that doomsday was coming and that everything was going to end. But what was ending at that time was not the world, but slavery as a mode of production.

Comrade Yasir Irshad explained that likewise today, it is not the world that is nearing its end, but the capitalist system. Yasir said that the capitalist system is suffering from the crisis of overproduction at a global level. This economic crisis is again expressing itself in politics and society. The ruling class is struggling to maintain control, because the system is no longer viable. As a result of this crisis, the prime ministers and presidents of the developed countries, including the United States, are becoming like clowns, which is further intensifying the crisis.

The ongoing protest movements in many other countries including Bangladesh, Kenya and Sri Lanka are also taking place as a result of this crisis. Workers all over the world have had enough, they can no longer face inflation and unemployment.

Yasir spoke in detail about these protest movements, particularly in Bangladesh and Kenya, and discussed their current situation and future prospects, including the immediate reasons behind them. He also drew a parallel between the movement in Bangladesh and the recent mass movement in Kashmir, which was successful in reducing the price of electricity and wheat flour, despite severe repression from the state.

Workers all over the world have had enough, they can no longer face inflation and unemployment / Image: RCP

Similarly, he explained the current situation and future perspectives for Israel's brutality and the Russia-Ukraine war. Yasir explained that the main reason for these wars is the relative decline of American imperialism. Yet Israel couldn’t have done what it is doing without the support of American and European imperialist powers. These same powers also control the regimes in Arab countries and in Pakistan, the ruling class being a slave of these same imperialist powers.

He explained how currently, millions of people are dying because of the greed of the capitalists of America and other imperialist countries. The lives of billions are in danger, and millions of people are forced to leave their homes and live on the streets.

The insatiable thirst for profit has turned the entire planet into hell and threatens its very existence. But on the other hand, the fight between the rich and the poor is intensifying all over the world. This class war will only escalate in the future.

In this session, Saqib Ismail from Lahore, Jalal Jan from Karachi, Farhad Ali from Malakand, Asif Lashari from D.G. Khan, Karim Parhar from Quetta, Valeed Khan from Lahore, and Adam Pal also participated in the discussion. All these comrades discussed in detail the ongoing wars and civil wars, the economic crisis, climate change and many other aspects of the world situation.

Revolution, communism and Pakistan

The second session, titled “Revolution, communism and Pakistan”, started after the lunch break. This session was chaired by Comrade Siddique Jan from Pakhtunkhwa. The session was led by Comrade Valeed Khan from Lahore.

According to a recent report by Pakistan’s Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment, as of July, 700,000 people had left the country since the beginning of the year, compared to 811,000 people in the previous year. This does not include those who leave by ‘illegal’ means, who travel in life-threatening conditions through hot deserts, rocky mountains and deadly seas, and are killed by the thousands on borders, or are rotting in prisons.

The second session was titled “Revolution, communism and Pakistan” / Image: RCP

Pakistan at present is nothing less than a paradise for the generals, judges, bureaucrats, capitalists and landlords, but it is a burning hell for the millions of workers living here. The rulers of this country spend billions of rupees on their children’s weddings, while the children of millions of workers sleep hungry at night and the only time they see bread is in their dreams. For these children, the thought of picking up a rich person's leftover burger or pizza lying in a garbage can is a beautiful dream.

According to a 2023 report by the Global Hunger Index, people in Pakistan had to spend more than 1,000 rupees per day for healthy food, and one year later, inflation has driven up this cost exponentially. At present, the minimum wage is 37,000 rupees. A family that has at least three people must choose between eating healthy food, paying rent, paying the sky-high electricity bills, or getting education or healthcare for their children!

All the responsibility for this destruction and devastation lies firmly with the global imperialist institutions like the IMF and the World Bank, as well as the generals, judges, bureaucrats, capitalists and landlords of this country. The ruling class cry crocodile tears that we do not have the resources to offer employment and reduce inflation, but each of these capitalists has dozens of palaces and billions of dollars are kept in safes abroad.

For the last 77 years, the resources of the Baloch, Pashtuns, Sindhis and other oppressed nations have been looted by these rulers at gunpoint. To continue this looting, thousands of people are being massacred and kept in torture cells in conditions worse than animals.

Valeed explained that “like the rest of the world, large protest movements are going on in Pakistan and the class struggle will intensify in the future.” Currently, there are already movements against Baloch national oppression, terrorism in Pashtun, electricity prices, flour prices, and for democratic rights, as part of protest movements in Gilgit-Baltistan and ‘Azad’ Kashmir. But these movements are going on in isolation from each other. The task is to connect them up. Soon, the factory workers and workers in government institutions will also join the struggle.

Ultimately, Valeed explained that under socialism all the means of wealth creation would be taken out of the ownership of the handful of rulers in this country and put under the democratic control of a workers’ state, including education, healthcare, employment, transport and other sectors. They would be used for the welfare of the whole of society.

After that, Comrade Ajmal presented an analysis of the Kashmir movement and warmed the hearts of the comrades sitting in the hall by describing the events that happened during the successful movement of the Awami Action Committee in Kashmir against the rising prices of electricity and wheat flour.

Salma Nawaz, General Secretary of Women Health Workers Punjab from Dera Ghazi Khan, said, “As a woman belonging to the working class of Punjab, we do not need to loot the resources of Balochistan or any other region. They are asking for their right to live.”

Comrade Ehsan Ali Advocate, chairman of the ‘Awami Action Committee’ organising the major protest movement in Gilgit-Baltistan and a leading member of the Inqalabi Communist Party, spoke in detail about the ongoing movement in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Apart from them, Bilawal Baloch from Balochistan, electricity worker Maqsood Hamdani from Lahore, Anand Prakash from Karachi and Seema Khan from Quetta participated in the discussion.

Ustad Nasir Khan, together with his tabla player Sharon, moved the comrades with stirring musical rhythms and tones / Image: RCP

The last session of the first day was on ‘Revolutionary Poetry and Music’.

In this session, Mazhar Hussain Syed, a revolutionary poet from Taxila/Wah and a member of the Inqalabi Communist Party, recited his poetry and received loud applause from the entire hall.

After that, Ustad Nasir Khan, who came from Lahore specially to participate in this historic communist school, together with his tabla player Sharon, moved the comrades with stirring musical rhythms and tones. Comrades rose from their chairs to move with the music, which gave new energy and impetus to the shouts of “long live revolution”.

What is Communism?

The second day started with a talk by Fazeel Asghar on the topic “What is Communism?”, which was chaired by Karim Parhar from Quetta.

Fazeel started the discussion with these words:

“Communism is a system in which there will be no private property, no state, no distinction between rich and poor, no competition between human beings for their basic needs, and society will run in an orderly and rational manner. In this system, each person will work according to his ability and in return be given to according to his need. We are told this is an imaginary paradise! But communism is not anyone’s wishful thinking, but it has a scientific basis which was explained by the great revolutionaries Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.”

Fazeel then analysed the difference between utopian and scientific communism. He explained that the philosophy of Marxism is not idealist but materialist. That is, the real material world exists outside of our mind, and requires scientific analysis to understand it, rather than simply the subjective interpretations of our own mind. Therefore, the concept of communist society is formulated by analysing the history of society on a scientific basis.

He then briefly described the journey from the beginnings of materialism in ancient Greek philosophy, through the Renaissance, and finally to Karl Marx himself. Fazeel showed in this way that Marx stood on the shoulders of great philosophers before him.

The second day started with a talk by Fazeel Asghar on the topic “What is Communism?” / Image: RCP

Similarly, he laid out the fundamentals of historical materialism, the communist analysis of man’s path from ancient primitive communism to today’s capitalist system. After describing the origins of class society, Fazeel began his analysis of the history of class society by quoting the historic words of the Communist Manifesto: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle”. And he explained exactly how the class struggle forms the driving force of all social change.

Finally, Fazeel discussed the contradiction between labour and capital under the capitalist system, explained the crisis of overproduction and clarified the necessity of communism in the present era.

Fazeel pointed out that “our fight is not only for bread, clothes and housing, but to create a society where a piece of paper [a rupee] does not decide the destiny of a person, but rather where a person can truly be independent and decide their own destiny.”

After the talk, the discussion was full of questions. More than thirty questions were asked, showing the immense interest of all the people in this session.

Asif Lashari from Dera Ghazi Khan, Salma Nazar from Lahore, Jalal from Karachi, Imran Shah from Dadu, Khuram from Kashmir, Sibghat Wyne from Gujranwala, Farhan Rashid from Bahawalpur, Majeed Panhwar from Hyderabad, Sanaullah Jalbani from Lahore and Riaz Ahmed from Sargodha participated in the discussion and gave thorough and interesting answers to the questions.

The theory of permanent revolution

On the second day, after the lunch break, there was a discussion on the topic: “The theory of permanent revolution: the role of revolution in underdeveloped countries”.

This session was chaired by Ali Esa from Hyderabad and led by Dr. Aftab Ashraf.

In backward countries like Pakistan, one question remains highly debated in left-wing circles: will the development and social evolution of these countries take place through capitalist parliamentary democracy or through a socialist revolution? This question is not new, but existed in Russia even before the revolution in 1917. The success of the Russian Revolution was a practical demonstration that the key to the development of backward countries lies in the hands of the proletariat of these countries. Yet the degeneration of revolutionary Russia due to the Stalinist bureaucracy means that this question must still be answered today.

The success of the Russian Revolution was a practical demonstration that the key to the development of backward countries lies in the hands of the proletariat / Image: RCP

Aftab Ashraf began his talk by explaining the political role of the capitalist class. Aftab shed light on the political role of the bourgeoisie in different periods. First, he discussed the role of the capitalist class in the French Revolution, which was a bourgeois revolution, explaining that even in its own revolution, this class was unable to play a decisive leadership role. Even in the French Revolution, the ordinary people played a central role. Aftab said that the capitalist class, whose political role was limited even from the very beginning, is even less fit to play a progressive role today, when the capitalist system is suffering from an organic crisis.

In this context, Aftab looked at the bourgeoisie in backward countries. Aftab said that in these countries, the bourgeoisie has taken on the role of a comprador since its inception. They are the lackeys of the imperialists.

Not only politically, but also economically, they are subordinated to the imperialist countries and their institutions in many ways. In fact, the basic reason for their existence is to act on the imperialists’ behalf. Therefore, the capitalist class cannot play any progressive role in backward countries.

On the other hand, today's proletariat has developed dramatically and is much larger now than ever before. The extent to which the capitalist system has become globalised in the world today could never have been imagined in the past.

Aftab said that in backward countries, the bourgeoisie has taken on the role of a comprador since its inception / Image: RCP

Today, economic and social development in underdeveloped countries, as well as the winning of democratic freedoms, cannot be achieved through bourgeois parliaments of these countries, nor through a puppet of global imperialism like the United Nations. Rather, these duties can now be fulfilled only by the proletariat of these countries through a socialist revolution. The recent movement in Bangladesh has once again proved that true freedom cannot be found in a capitalist system. True freedom is possible only with the abolition of capital.

Yasir Irshad from Kashmir, Karim Parhar from Quetta, Irfan Mansoor from Bahawalpur, Adeel Zaidi from Lahore, Taimur Khan from Peshawar, Adam Pal from Lahore and Paras Jan from Karachi answered questions and raised other aspects of this issue, such as Stalin's ‘theory of stages’.

Art and revolution

The third session of the second day was on “Art and Revolution”.

This session was chaired by Asif Lashari from DG Khan and led by Adam Pal.

Adam’s talk was filled with humour, capturing the audience’s interest and focussing their attention. Adam discussed the relationship between art and revolution, as well as the objective reasons for the decline of art today. In particular, the discussion focused on the cinema and music of the subcontinent. The discussion included the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the stories of Krishan Chandar and Premchand, the slave revolt of Spartacus and the film made about it, and the classical music and raga darbari and other ragas of the subcontinent, as well as music in films.

The third session of the second day was on “Art and Revolution” / Image: RCP

Various topics including singing, painting, sculpture, and the portrayal and impact of various famous fictional characters on society were discussed from a communist point of view, which was very much appreciated by the audience.

At the end of the session, all the participants praised the humour that comrade Adam Pal had included into his talk.

After the end of the session, a commission was also held to organise women’s work across the country. The commission reviewed recent work in this field and set a plan of action for the future.

The day ended once again with singing and the revolutionary music of Ustad Nasir Khan.

Building a Revolutionary Communist Party

The final session of the three-day Communist School was on building a Revolutionary Communist Party. This session was chaired by Fazeel Asghar from Lahore and led by Paras Jan from Karachi.

As Paras stated:

“The decision to found the Revolutionary Communist International at the global level, and to create a Revolutionary Communist Party in Pakistan, was not made on the basis of our subjective desires, but was based on the objective situation facing us.”

When even bourgeois journals are pointing out that millions of young people from America to Britain are interested in communism and calling themselves communists, we too have to present ourselves in a bold, communist manner.

As Paras explained:

“Today, the conditions in Pakistan are such that we can succeed in the socialist revolution within our lifetime. And if we do not, then we will also be responsible for the barbarism in this country. Thus, we must be clear about our intentions, and we proudly declare that the communists are coming to Pakistan!

“The time has come to take the ideology of communism to every factory, street, neighbourhood and educational institution. Communism is no longer something to be discussed behind closed doors. Francis Fukuyama's so-called theory of the ‘end of history’ has been proven wrong by history itself.

“Anyone who wants employment, free electricity, education and healthcare in this country, is a communist, because all these can only be achieved today by abolishing the capitalist system through a communist revolution. Comrades, people are waiting for us, don't hesitate, go forward and raise the red flag!”

Finally, Paras announced that the founding congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party will be held in December this year. Before this Congress, we will publish a special poster clearly stating: “If you are a Communist, then join the Revolutionary Communist Party!” We will put this poster in every street, educational institution and factory, to convey this message to millions of workers. Now the wait is over, the party of the working class has come to this country.

Paras announced that the founding congress of the Revolutionary Communist Party will be held in December this year / Image: RCP

Along with this, we have founded a new newspaper called the Communist. 2,500 copies of its first issue have been published and are available at our bookstalls.

Paras explained that “our target is to turn this newspaper from a monthly into a fortnightly and then daily, and to increase its circulation from 2,500 to 25,000 and then to 2,500,000. This is our weapon that will transform us into a force that no country in the world will be able to defeat. Through this we will not only organise the workers of Pakistan, but also build a mighty Revolutionary Communist Party.”

After Paras Jan, Rashid Azad from Sindh's Darro Sajawal and Yasir Irshad from Kashmir discussed further aspects of party building.

We have founded a new newspaper called the Communist / Image: RCP

The closing speech of the school was delivered by Adam Pal, the leading comrade of the Revolutionary Communist Party. As Adam explained, “we are not a party of any country, colour, race, language or nation. We are a global party, the Revolutionary Communist International. The Revolutionary Communist Party is the Pakistani section of this International. Our International today is rapidly advancing across the globe and is emerging as a serious force.”

Adam also highlighted the achievements of the Revolutionary Communist International in America, Britain and other countries, and expressed determination to continue our struggle despite all obstacles.

The event concluded with the singing of the Internationale.

First rally and public meeting of the RCP

After the end of the school, the Revolutionary Communist Party organised a huge rally. Under a sea of red flags, comrades first drove to Chandni Chowk Rawalakot from Chak Bazar, waving red flags from motorcycles, rickshaws, cars and buses. Comrades then marched on foot from Chandni Chowk. After reaching Zaheer Chowk, a public rally was held, where the speakers’ revolutionary message was conveyed to hundreds of people, who crowded not only the streets, but the roofs of nearby shops and buildings.

The bold speeches expressed full determination to realise the socialist revolution / Image: RCP

Ajmal Rasheed acted as chair of the public meeting, with speakers included Ehsan Ali Advocate from Gilgit, Yasir Irshad from Kashmir, Aftab Ashraf from Lahore and Paras Jan from Karachi. The participants of the rally not only carried banners with the programme and demands of the Revolutionary Communist Party, but also banners expressing solidarity with the revolutionary movement of students and workers in Bangladesh, as well as with the historic mass movement of the Baloch people for their rights and against the oppression from the Pakistani state.

After the bold speeches, which expressed full determination to realise the socialist revolution, comrades chanted slogans raising revolutionary demands, before dispersing peacefully.