The Nawaz government also tested a nuclear bomb despite the hypocritical opposition of the USA. He went on war LPP Conference
Punjab revolu
Almost 250 people from 18 districts attended the first
Punjab Conference of the
Labour Party of Pakistan in late
September. Farooq Sulehria reports.
In a lively discussion, delegates stressed that Nawaz Sharif's government might not complete its remaining two and half years [though no-one predicted the miliary coup of 12 October]
The capitalists have not solved any basic problems of the masses. In the new era of globalisation, the process of recolonisation of the poor countries have gone quite far. The per capita income in Pakistan has fallen from $US460 in 1990 to
$340 in 1999.
Religious fundamentalism has grown but a new Afganistan or
Iran like situation is not an immediate threat in Pakistan.
Delegates said it would be difficult for the army to take direct control, but that some new transitional government might take over, to ensure the speedy implementation of the
IMF agenda of privatisation and introduction of new taxes.
There were no major differences between comrades' analysis of key perspectives. Delegates reiterated their commitment for
SIN with India, and lost. This isolated the adio and Inct Thic icolated the Nawaz Government from its religious constituency and its international backers.
The government had high hopes that it could compensate by an ambitious trade relationship with the Daewo group. But that Korean multinational is in deep crisis, and is not ready to expand its Pakistan operations.
The Nawaz Government was very ) tionaries the ideas of permanent revolution.
The party's priorities have been fixed as youth, trade unions and among the remaining Left in the province. Delegates resolved to study and learn from the recent successes of the LPP in Sind province.
Only four delegates voted against the party's 43 member Punjab council. The newly elected provincial chairman is a a Railway worker from Rawalpindi. A former leading member of the Communist Party, he and 32 comrades joined the LPP in August, after three years of joint discussions.
The conference was punctuated by a play about the peasant struggle against feudalism, and demonstrations against UN against Cuba and Iraq, against federal rule in Sind province and against the killings of political activists of opposition in Sind
The conference was reported by most of the national media, and delegates congratulated local comrades for an impressive local propaganda campaign, covering the town with posters and wall slogans. * International greetings were recieved from the Fourth International, Australia's DSP, the London group of the LLP, and the LIT.
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9
International Viewpoint #316 November 1999
* Pakistan/India weak, unstable and isolated. Surprisingly, this did not stop it from intensifying its conflict with the military hierarchy. What now?
The military takeover did not provoke any resistance from the masses. There was a sense of confusion among the population, and, to some extent, a sense of relief.
Most political parties have gone along with this popular sentiment. The Pakistan People's Party, the party of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, has backed the coup. Bhutto said that she is willing to give the military dictatorship six months to bring corrupt politicians and parties to account.
Cautious support also came from the Pakistan National Conference, an alliance of seven left and radical bourgeois parties, from the National Workers Party (NWP) - established on June 2 with the merger of the Pakistan Socialist Party, Awami Jamhuri Party and Pakistan National Party — and from the Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party (CMKP).
These left parties see the military as a non-corrupt alternative to the extremely corrupt bourgeois parties.
In contrast to the Stalinist left, the Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) is the only party to take a firm position against the military dictatorship. The LP has called for a workers and peasants' commission to investigate the corruption of the politicians and bureaucracy. It has demanded an interim government of workers and peasants to hold impartial general elections for a new constitutional assembly.
On October 21 soldiers raided the offices of the LPP weekly Mazdoor Jeddojuhd. They also seized copies of Prepare For Fight, a new book by Amjad Ayub, LPP overseas organiser.
The military have not yet developed their strategy. Unlike previous coups, the generals have not used religion as the main pretext for their action.
If the generals try to establish open military rule under martial law, they may face opposition from the IMF, the World Bank and the US government. So it seems more likely that they will install a civilian puppet governmentunder full military control.
The main aim of this so-called civilian government will be the speedy implementation of the IMF agenda.
The military take over is yet another setback for the left and trade union movement in Pakistan. * Farooq Sulehria also contributed to this article. 10 International Viewpoint #316 November 1999