Socialist (
An online magazine supplement to monthly Socialist Urdu
28/12/2007
Karachi:Organizing Inside a
Movement By Haroon Khalid The movement for justice launched after the sacking of Chief
Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9 surprised many political analysts by its
vigor and ability to gain support from unexpected sections of the society. A whole generation of new activists has been
politicized during this struggle. Lead essentially by the lawyers, it rapidly gained the support
of civil rights activists, progressive forces and students. A major reason for the situation, in addition to the known
threat of terrorism by the state and its allied MQM, is the absence on any
organised left-wing party. Such a party could translate the grievances and
aspirations of different sections in the resistance into a comprehensive
political agenda. The mainstream parties not only kept aloof from the
struggle but also did not hesitate from betraying it on crucial occasions. On the other hand, the movement in against acceptance of Pervez Musharraf's nomination papers.
More than 185 journalists courted arrest and braved baton-charge to expose
the state brutality after the imposition of martial law. These events, coupled with sustained protest activities by the
People's Movement for Justice and then People's Resistance (PR). PR is an
alliance of groups and individuals involved in the struggle, have exposed a section of the youth of the city to politics. It has
also given an opportunity for presentation of Socialism as a viable alternative to the present system based
on oppression, exploitation and corruption. But issues like increase in prices of food and essential
services, privatisation and retrenchment and the war waged by the state against the people of Balochistan, These issues could have involved the masses in the struggle
and created a stand-off which could only be resolved through a genuine
political change. With every passing day, the need for a political
organisation to link and lead the struggle is becoming more and more evident. |
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