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Capitalism & War in Pakistan

Riaz AhmedJuly 3, 2010

International Socialists (Pakistan)worldtowinpk.net

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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

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BalochistanMilitary operationPoorest pop 6%

Sindh

Punjab

Kashmir PO

Pakistan

Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa (North West) Tribal + Settled

Military operation pop 11%

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Swat and Waziristan –Military Operation Sites

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Pakistan in World Economy

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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

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And How Brutally This Integration is Maintained

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War for Displacement in

Pakistan

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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%

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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2002 2009 2010

Military Expenditure $bn

US Military Aid $bnPak Military Expenditure $bnHealth/Education

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Class Society

2001-2010GDP Trebled to $168 billion50% Service Sector Wealth

47,000 dead

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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%

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Wealth Production Enormous in ‘war years’

Pakistan GDP Billion Dollars

020406080

100120140160

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

GDP

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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

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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

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8.5

12

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2004 2009 2010

Per Unit Price of Electricity Rs/unit

4

9.5

12

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FightbacksResistances

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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.

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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

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Rising Commercial Class$7 bn Foreign Remittance$3bn to Rural North West

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.”

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Result of Weak Anti-War Movement: Destabilization

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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’

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Destabilization

• Blackwater sponsored• US sponsored

– ethnic, national, sectarian war-lords– explosions, extortion, kidnapping, ransom.– Dictator Gen Musharraf…Benazir Bhutto/Zardari

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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%

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Working Class Movements

• Usual– succeed if persistent– More workers ready to prolong struggles – …past short struggles.

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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

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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

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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!

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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