KARACHI: A book on the ebbs and flows of the Left in Pakistan titled ‘What Went Wrong’ by journalist Zamir Sheikh was launched at the Karachi Press Club on Friday evening.

Speaking on the occasion, Muslim Shamim said the book had opened the door for a dialogue. Quoting Jamaluddin Bukhari, he argued it was important that communist leadership grew from within Pakistan instead of inviting people from across the border for the purpose.

He mentioned that democracy and secularism were inter-related. While there were certain shortcomings in the organisational aspect of the progressive movement, as an ideology it never disappeared into the background. That’s the reason that even the establishment had to give in to it, as Faiz and Jalib were quoted by those who were in the power corridors.

Mairaj Mohammad Khan said ideas changed with the changes that occurred in society. Those who didn’t adapt themselves with the changing trends suffered, he said, adding that the Soviet Union disintegrated as a party was imposed upon the party of the people. He said the struggle would go on as long as there was the issue of providing bread (roti) to the people.

Historian Dr Mubarak Ali pointed out the mistakes that the Left had made after partition of the subcontinent. He said the first mistake the Communist Party committed was that it asked its Muslim members to join the Muslim League, which was against the communist ideology. The Left was under the pump even during the British rule because of which a lot of propaganda was whipped up against it. For example, it was thought that the Communists did not have any moral values, they did not care for tradition etc. After partition, the party sent Sajjad Zaheer to Pakistan that made some people object that a man from India was sent to teach us communism.

Dr Mubarak said revolutions didn’t come through coups. For that to happen, people’s minds needed to be changed. Once the Communist Party was banned in Pakistan its members went underground which was why not many documents related to their struggle could be preserved. Then there was the division between those who were on the side of the Russian government and those who liked the Chinese model. In Punjab the latter was preferred because of the anti-India stance, whereas China and Russia used other communist parties to serve their national agendas, he said.

Dr Mubarak lamented that there were Trotskyites in Karachi who thought of the Taliban as an anti-imperialist force; it wasn’t a positive trend. Marxism needed to be studied in detail very carefully (bareek beeni se), he stressed.

Sohail Sangi, who presided over the event, lauded Mr Sheikh’s effort and said the debate that he had touched upon should help us arrive at some conclusions.

Dr Tauseef Ahmed, Dr Riaz Sheikh, Mazhar Abbas, Saeed Khawar and Zamir Sheikh also spoke.