Reading Trotsky in Pakistan
Published on ZNet, by Farooq Sulehria, April 13, 2015.
It is hard to say when exactly Leon Trotsky’s ideas begin to draw attention in Pakistan. However, by the 1930s his theories as well as his struggle against Stalinism won some support in pre-partition India. In Clash of Fundamentalisms, Tariq Ali narrates the proceedings of a meeting held in Lahore in April 1969 where his Trotskyist ideas were received as a novelty.
In recounting that Lahore meeting, Ali tells the story of an old and witty comrade who staunchly believed in the left unity: “He turned to the pro-Moscow stalwarts: ‘Here we have our Sunnis.’ He glared at the Maoists: ‘Here we have our Shia.’ Then he looked in my direction and smiled: ‘And now this young firebrand wants us to embrace Wahabism’”(1).
Given Trotsky’s demonization by Stalinist and Maoist bureaucracies, it is impossible that the old left guard in Pakistan was unaware of Leon Trotsky. In any case, by the 1980s Marxist ‘Wahabism’ arrived in Pakistan in an organized form. It all began in 1980 in Amsterdam when a bunch of young left-wing exiles launched Jeddojuhd (Struggle), an Urdu-language journal. A small group of activists gathered around the journal. By 1986 a few leading members of the Struggle Group were able to return from exile and organize in Lahore.
The Struggle Group and Militant Labour in England: … //
… Getting recruited: … //
… The cult of personality: … //
… (full long text, notes).
Links:
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German Asylum: Attacks on Refugee Hostels a Growing Problem, on Spiegel Online International, by staff, April 11, 2015 (Photo Gallery): The recent arson attack against a refugee hostel in Tröglitz has made headlines around the world. But it is far from the exception in Germany. Even as most asylum-seekers in the country are left in peace, there has been a disturbing rise in anti-refugee violence;
New Zealand: Gareth Morgan says NZ should look to Latin America for welfare policy. Your view? on interest.co.nz, by Gareth Morgan, April 11, 2015;
UK: Save up to £212 per year with new allowance, on Southern Reporter.co.uk, by Gill Adamson – Rennie Welch column, April 10, 2015;
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Len Burman: Do Senators Lee and Rubio Have a Secret Plan to Help Poor Families? on Basic Income Earth Network BIEN, by Toby, April 9, 2015;
Canada: Q&A with precarious work expert Guy Standing, on The Star, by Sara Mojtehedzadeh, April 9, 2015: More than 40 per cent of GTA workers are stuck in precarious employment. There is a better way, argues a prominent economist.