Preparations for a Historic Congress of Pakistani Marxists are in full swing and a big participation is expected in Aiwan-i-Iqbal on 10, 11 March. Four Draft Documents have been published for this congress and debates are being finalized from branches to regional congress for the four sessions in congress. Documents are also published on our Urdu website www.struggle.com.pk

Participants will include comrades from the Railways, Air Lines, Steel Mills, Banks, Oil Sector, Water & Power sector, Irrigation, Natural Gas, Unilever, Coca Cola, Nestlé, Honda, Textile sector, Chemical industry, Ports and Shipping, Pharmaceuticals, Doctors, Nurses, Hospital workers, Journalists Union, Professors and Lecturers, Telecommunication and various other industrial sectors, while students will be participating from the Punjab University, Sindh University, CMC Larkana, SAL University Khairpur, Urdu University Karachi, Balochistan University, AJK University Muzafarabad, NUML, BZU Multan, Islamia University Bahawalpur, various Engineering Universities in Lahore, Taxila, Kohat, Sindh, Khuzdar etc., Agriculture University Faisalabad, Sarhad University, Gomal University D.I.Khan, Government College Lahore, F.C. College Lahore, National College of Arts , LUMS and many other educational institutes of Pakistan.

The first session will be on World Perspectives, which will be introduced by Alan Woods giving a lead off. A detailed draft document has been translated into Urdu and published for this session and a lot of discussions have already been held in the areas on each and every point of the document.

Front page of Pakistan: After Socialist VictoryThe second session will be on Pakistan Perspectives, which will be introduced by comrade Paras Jan giving the lead off. The draft document has been discussed in all regions. The document include sections on the crisis of the state, the crisis in the economy, the cancer of fundamentalism, the question of nationalism, the People’s Party and the masses, and the last chapter is about the general political turmoil, the youth and class consciousness.

There will be three separate commissions in the evening of 10 March: Strategy and tactics of work in the Trade Unions, Youth work and the Women’s Question and work among women.

The third Session will be on the topic of “Pakistan: After Socialist Revolution?", which will be introduced by comrade Lal Khan giving the lead off. A draft document for this session has also been published in which a detailed analysis of this question is elaborated on. The first chapter is about “Socialist Revolution – Why and How?” The subsequent chapters include the State, Economy, Infrastructure, National Question, Women, Art and Media, Foreign Policy and Socialist Federation of South Asia. This is very important topic regarding the miserable condition of society in Pakistan and how a socialist revolution would practically solve various issues in this backward country.

Front page of organisational documentThe fourth Session will be on Organization, which will be introduced by comrade Adam Pal giving the lead off. A draft document for this session has already been sent to the comrades which includes the annual report and targets.

The last session will be an International Report on the work of the IMT by comrade Ana Munoz.

There will be three separate commissions on the evening of 10 March on Trade Union, Youth and Women. The congress will end in the traditional manner with the singing of the Internationale.

Participants will be issued cards of three types which include Delegate, Member and Visitor. While a special card of comrades on security will also be issued separately.

The crisis of capitalism is creating big hurdles in organizing this congress, the biggest of which is price hikes. Another big increase in the prices of Petroleum products and electricity has been declared from March 1st by the People’s Party government, which has once again seriously affected the budget of the congress.

Front page of Pakistan PerspectivesTo attend this congress in Lahore comrades will have to travel long distances; some will have to travel for 30 hours to reach Lahore and again 30 hours or more to go back.

The transport system in Pakistan is in a dilapidated condition while the fares are almost double what they were last year. Also, the income of workers has contracted in the same period due to inflation and other factors. Unemployment is also increasing rapidly.

Pakistan Railways can never guarantee that its passengers will reach their destination in time or even reach their destination. The journey can be cancelled anytime. Private transport is even worse, with crumbling bodies and engines the vehicles are a terrible nightmare to travel on.

However, the spirits of comrades are high and they are preparing with revolutionary enthusiasm to overcome all hurdles and work to get rid of this bloodthirsty capitalism, misery and exploitation through a socialist revolution.

Let our enemies tremble at a successful congress. “The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite!”