HYDERABAD: Communist Party of Pakistan (CPP) leader Comrade Imdad Qazi has said that elite capture system would not deliver as the country had been looted in all its 76 years.

He remarked that the powers that be were endeavouring to thrust Nawaz Sharif upon masses like they did in the cases of Imran Khan and Asif Zardari.

He was delivering his speech at a programme held to mark the death anniversary of Comrade Hassan Nasir and 106th anniversary of October’s socialist revolution. The programme was held in the local press club on Sunday.

He said that Pakistan could not progress unless socialist system was introduced here. He said that Pakistan’s system was captured by elites, including civil establishment, jagirdars, pirs, mullahs, seths as well as capitalists, and added that this occupation would have to be done away with.

Only socialist revolution can bring prosperity to Pakistan, say leaders

And, he said, for the elimination of the present system, a social revolution would have to be brought about by mobilising workers, peasants, middle class, youths and women through a revolutionary organisation.

He said that only this could lead to prosperity. He added that CPP activists would have to work with the vigour and spirit shown by Comrade Hassan Nasir.

Other leaders who also spoke included Comrade Iqbal, Sindh Hari Committee’s Comrade Arbab, Democratic Youth Front leader Zulfikar Rustamani, Peace and Solidarity Council’s Naghma Naz and Railway Workers’ leader Niaz Khaskheli.

They pointed out that rulers were not ready to lessen their expenses to help improve the national economy. Rather, they said, these unnecessary expenditures were being increased.

They noted that national enterprises were being privatised or outsourced under the conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other imperialist agencies.

They alleged that now four million acres of land was being given to a foreign company which meant that Pakistan would again be governed by multinational entities like the East India Company. They said that masses were being taxed every now and then which was putting them into poverty.

They observed that since people had been divided along ethnic, lingual and regional lines, a meaningful countrywide agitation had been made impossible. They said that despondency had hit people.

CPP activists would have to join masses at grass root level like Hassan Nasir to end the frustration prevailing among people and to rid them of short sightedness, they said.

The speakers said that people would have to be convinced to become part of CPP in order to accelerate pace of struggle for changing this system.

They said that the way Russian revolution was brought about in 1917 to defeat rulers, could be adopted in Pakistan for such a revolution. So called pro-democracy people in Pakistan would have to take guidance from that, they said.

The speakers noted that Russian revolution had provided 100pc education, health, employment and housing within a brief period of time. Therefore, a similar revolution in Pakistan would lead to provision of all these basic rights to the masses if socialist revolution was brought about.

Earlier, CPP activists held a demonstration to condemn Israeli war against Palestinians.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2023