Date post: | 28-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | revolutionary-socialists-organisation-pakistan-inqilabi-socialists |
View: | 220 times |
Download: | 1 times |
1
Capitalism & War in Pakistan
Riaz AhmedJuly 3, 2010
International Socialists (Pakistan)worldtowinpk.net
2
Hopefully what you will learn
• How capitalism & war spread in Pakistan
• Failed ruling class but united in war on people/working class
• War on Pakistan -- Imperialist role
• By dividing working class on war the ruling class spreads war and makes profits
• Resistance: Taliban, Divided left, working class struggles, peoples struggles
• Why workers of world need to unite to smash capitalism and war
3
BalochistanMilitary operationPoorest pop 6%
Sindh
Punjab
Kashmir PO
Pakistan
Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa (North West) Tribal + Settled
Military operation pop 11%
4
Swat and Waziristan –Military Operation Sites
5
Pakistan in World Economy
6
Reforms?• Divided ruling class united in brutality
– Military/ economic war: • rural poor and urban workers -- divided• ‘we are fighting a difficult war’• Taliban, Blackwater, Sectarian Outfits • Pro-Imperial Ethnic/Nationalists, • Pro-war Islamicists, Liberals, Democrats
• Volatility– Layer after layer of oppressed respond– Problems
• Military, war, suicide bombing• massive price hike, despair
• NO reform but revolution– What sort of revolution
7
And How Brutally This Integration is Maintained
8
War for Displacement in
Pakistan
9
War in Pakistan• 2001-2010 • War Against Terrorism =
War on Af-Pak• Killings*
• 2001-10 : 47,000 killed 2009: 12,815 killed
• $40bn loss• 4 million displaced
– Response: suicide attacks, explosions and bloodshed.
• *Pak Military figures 47,000 Deaths in Pakistan War since 2001
Military, 8785, 18%
Terrorists, 17742,
37%
Civilians, 21672, 45%
10
War for Displacement• Drone/Attacks by USA
– 700 were killed in 2009 – 560 in 6 months of 2010– 209 killed in 130 political violence
• Pakistani War of Occupation 2002-– Waziristan 700 to 3000 Pakistani
soldiers killed• South Waziristan peace deal• 90,0000 of the 600,000 Warizistan
migrants
• Swat military operation 2008-– Killed 6,800 civilians– Displaced 3.44 million– Still 2million displaced
11
2004-2010 Military Operations KP
• Another occupying armyPakistan Institute of Peace Studies/Pak Army– 821 Check-Posts, – 150,000 troops on Af-Pak – 50,000 troops in Swat/Tribal Area– 596 ‘operational attacks’ military
12
History of Military Operations• Military Operations• 1971 Bangladesh (East Pak) Military Op
• At least 30,000 Bangladeshis killed• At most 3 million Bangladeshis killed
• 1973 Balochistan Military Operation • 3000 soldiers and 5000 Baloch died • Thousands went missing
• 1984 Sindh Military Operation• 45,000 soldiers mobilized to crush democratic movement,
killing over 1000• 1992 Karachi Military Operation
• Hundreds killed• 1770 died in factional violence
13
How did the war spread? ‘Peoples War on Terror’
• People bombed into supporting war– 2002: General Musharraf’s regime
• War unacceptable – Splits Rulers• Benazir Bhutto:‘peoples war on terror’ –
– unites ruling class! Even under Zardari!– Divided Working Class => Eco Repression/Cuts
14
War and US Defense Aid• In 2009 Obama said:
‘Pakistani government is weak but Pakistani military can be trusted’
• Pakistan’s Military Expenditures Rising
– 45% budget:Debt/Military– Debt 379% of 2010 Budget.
– $800 million for health education of 175 million people
– $8000 million for Military
0.075
2 1.8
6.5
2.6
7.8
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2002 2009 2010
Military Expenditure $bn
US Military Aid $bnPak Military Expenditure $bnHealth/Education
15
Class Society
2001-2010GDP Trebled to $168 billion50% Service Sector Wealth
47,000 dead
16
Pakistan and Class Divide• Pakistanis produce a lot of wealth.
– 2009 : GDP$166bn (3 times 2001)– 27th largest by ppp– Tax Collection $15bn– Exports $18bn (Textile, Rice)– Stock Exchange $25bn– Foreign Investment $4.6bn– Debt $50.1bn
• But share a fraction of that wealth– 2005-09:
• 13million more slipped in poverty– 62 million people poor (36% of 175mn)
Richest 20% own 50% of Wealth
Richest 20%50%
Poorest 20%6%
Rest44%
17
Wealth Production Enormous in ‘war years’
Pakistan GDP Billion Dollars
020406080
100120140160
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Year
GDP
18
Work and Wealth• Employment
– Agriculture 44%– Manufacturing 13%– Sale/transport 20%– Edu/Health 5%– Indirect taxes
• were 48% in 2001• Now 60% in 2009
• Profits– Telecom Revenue $2.8bn, one investment $745– Karachi Stock Market $1bn profit of one day = 1 yr
budget of Balochistan/North West
Balochistan
Karachi
19
Rocketing Prices• Electricity Price Hike
– Electricity Shortage
• Promise– More liberalization more
electricity
• Result– less electricity at higher
prices
• Profit taking– in Thermal, Oil-
Exploration, Petroleum – all ‘deregulated
4
8.5
12
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2004 2009 2010
Per Unit Price of Electricity Rs/unit
4
9.5
12
20
FightbacksResistances
21
Baloch Resistance
• 2004-Balochistan Military Operation– Operation for global investment– $700 million/year from 1 pipeline– Balochistan Budget < investment in one
port – Gas for Pakistani
capital—Australia/China…– Displacement of tribes
• Backward…influx of outsiders necessary• Massive Resistance by nationalist
Baloch– Over 4000 missing– Youth, liberation armies,
• State-sponsored target killing non-Baloch.
22
Pushtoon Resistance – History
• Against British Colonialism– Faqir Api– Mullah Mastan (Mad Mullah)– Populzai– Bacha Khan
• All related/respected by Big Madressas!• Movment against colonialism rooted in
rural/religion• Not to impose order from above
23
Rising Commercial Class$7 bn Foreign Remittance$3bn to Rural North West
24
Pushtoon/Islamicists ResistanceResistance/Injustices lead to Resistance
• Injustice rampant• Anger simmers • Property: Source/Dispute• Millions of landless• 60% disputes about land• Commercial bourgeoise rising
• War Zone: Pushtoon Nationalist Awami National Party
– Operation: Upper class Khans/Maliks revenge on rural poor
25
Injustices lead to Resistance• Weak old structure
– unable to put up the Khan, Maliks, Judicial system and police system
• Anger amongst the petty-bourg– supported by landless rural poor– Democratic Islamicists in power 2004
• Did not work• implemented World Bank projects with green labels • Basic problems of unemployment and land-disputes
– Since 2008 • military is there to uphold the old falling class structure.
26
War for Liberty?
• Human Rights Watch– “mounting evidence” of more than 200
summary executions in Swat..of suspected Taliban sympathisers.” does not condemn operations!
– Families of ordinary/Taliban held hostage – Anti Terror Laws: Court accepts statements
made in police/custody extended to Swat/FATA
27
Left/Lib: Resistance=Taliban=>support Imperialist War– Taliban = barbarians– “The principle that military operations
against the terrorists should be carried out in a manner…was not always observed.”
– Absent: the insight• “the temptation:militarize,
outsource a struggle that can only be waged politically, and by the Left. “
• NO Anti War Movement• Tariq Ali/Arundhati Roy
– invited by supporters of military operation
28
Divide B/w Pro and Anti-War
• So there is War – and also the Resistance– Mainly led by Taliban
• Almost absent Left opposition to war?
• Cities – traditional anti-war pro-left is
pro-war– few condemn military action
• but associate condemnation of Taliban as equally important
• Result …no consistent resistance to war.
29
Anti-Imperialism Mixed with Anti-Mullahism
• Logic=Conspiracy: ISI created• Youth
– has only the Taliban to go for • Left’s dilemma:imperialist war
–problem of addressing militant Islam and Imperialism
– Fails to address generally– Working class divided…Strong Capitalists
30
Workers Eat Charity to Pay Bills
• Pro-capital exploitation– massive destitution.
• Karachi Saylani Welfare Trust– designed for prisoners/sick to eat from charity– Serves 50,000 Karachites daily
• Helps pay rent, electricity bills, school fees– “If a person from any poor & low income family eats
food from our center and saves his money to spend it on his children's education, house rent, electricity & gas bills then believe us we have succeeded in saving this society.”
31
Result of Weak Anti-War Movement: Destabilization
32
Result of Weak Anti-War Movement: Destabilization
• War lords Everywhere • Paksitani Army
– Taliban– Anti-Taliban
• ‘Peace Committees’– Pukhtoon Peace Committee– Dacoit Peace Committee– MQM– Pakistan Peace Coalition– US sponsored ‘Peace Movement’,
• ‘Peace Jirga’ • ‘Peace Lashkar’
33
Destabilization
• Blackwater sponsored• US sponsored
– ethnic, national, sectarian war-lords– explosions, extortion, kidnapping, ransom.– Dictator Gen Musharraf…Benazir Bhutto/Zardari
34
Working Class Movements
• Many Many Struggles• Tens Thousands
– temporary workers– Demand permanent status– Electricity crisis protests– Fare rise protests
• Success– Temporary made permanent in steel, electricity, gas industry…
govt controlled– Public sector pay raise by 50%
• More Attacks– New Taxes to impose an inflation of 25%
35
Working Class Movements
• Usual– succeed if persistent– More workers ready to prolong struggles – …past short struggles.
36
Popular Movements
• Lawyers movement– Judiciary restored– Gen Musharraf resigned
• Power loom workers– struggle for better wages and electricity
• Teachers movement – in Punjab and Sindh
• Hotel workers – Occupation– Solidarity
37
Future• Afghanistan surge failed• US defeated now wants a compromise• Pakistani state sees an on-coming rise of rightwing• Myth exposed about secular turn of Pakistani state• Weak ruling class• Division b/w national and pro-imperial bourg• Petty bourg movements taking working class along• Fight-backs possible and happening• Anti-imperialism
– , anti-war, anti-national repression movements to be build• Working class central
38
Unite/Organise to Fight World Capitalism
• 40 countries occupy Afghanistan
• Despite difference Pak/US other militaries unite to smash common enemy –resistance
• Workers in Pakistan to lead struggles against war and exploitation – overcome division
• Workers of Pakistan, Britain others unite to fight united world capitalism
• Organise
• Join SWP in Britain to organise against capitalism and for socialist revolution – NO CHOICE!
39
What you probably have learned• How capitalism & war spread in Pakistan
• Failed ruling class but united in war on people/working class
• War on Pakistan -- Imperialist role
• By dividing working class on war the ruling class spreads war and makes profits
• Resistance: Taliban, Divided left, working class struggles, peoples struggles
• Why workers of world need to unite to smash capitalism and war