[Marxism] Unprecedented mass reaction to anti-people assassination of Benazir Bhutto

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is from the current of the Australian Democratic Socialist Party online
magazine LINKS. 

This murder was reactionary and nothing but, a savage blow against the
democratic and popular struggles of the Pakistani masses.  Most likely it
was the work of Musharraf, the military intelligence, and perhaps some of
the many Islamic sects, perhaps used to serve as patsies if such should be
required by the main executioners.

I have seen on other lists (this one seems to have kept its sanity) quite a
few sectarian post-mortem blasts at Bhutto as a US "puppet'. And Washington
was laying groundwork for switching support to her should Musharraf prove
unable to arrest his decline.  

The oversimplifications stem in part from tendencies among some Western
leftists to have little real sensitivity to the complexity of the relations
between the bourgeois nationalist ruling-class clans (Bhutto in Pakistan,
Nehru in India, Rahman in Bangladesh) and their conflicts and collaboration
with US imperialism and British imperialism.

The United States, for example, had a hand in the legal murder of Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto, by one of the military dictatorships it has backed there.

It may seem natural to unconditionally defend the present popular revolt
while unconditionally condemning Benazir Bhutto.  However I have to take
note that the current upheaval protesting her murder would not be taking
place if the masses had simply "seen through" Benazir as leftists tend to
demand that they do.

There are also debates over whether she is a "martyr".  She certainly, like
her father, faced the prospect of assassination with nerve and even
equanimity.  My view has tended to become that it is the masses, not the
ideologues, who ultimately determine who is a martyr.  From that standpoint,
both murdered Bhuttos seem likely to make the cut, at least for quite large
and broad seectors of the Pakistani population.
Fred Feldman
Unprecedented mass reaction to assassination of Benazir Bhutto
By Farooq Tariq
December 29, 2007 -- Pakistan has never seen so many people protesting in
streets all over the country as been the case during the last two days. They
were all united across Pakistan to condemn the brutal murder of Benazir
Bhutto. The news was heard with a great shock and there was immediate mass
anger that erupted in all parts of Pakistan. December 28 was the first day
of a general strike called by many groups, ranging from political parties to
various professional groups.

Most of election posters, banners, flags and billboards of the Pakistan
Muslim League (PMLQ) were the first victim of the mass anger. The PMLQ is a
creation of General Musharaf, created after 1999; a major split of Pakistan
Muslim League. The rest is headed by Nawaz Sharif, the former prime
minister. PMLQ has been sharing power with Musharaf after 2002 and is
comprised of the most corrupt feudals, capitalists, former army generals and
black marketeers.

The PMLQ had spent billions of these advertising material and all that was
gone within a few hours of mass reaction. The work to remove all these
anti-people election materials was done with utmost sophistication. None of
the Pakistan Peoples Party's election material or that of the Pakistan
Muslim League Nawaz was removed.

Then it was the banks mainly in Sind. They were attacked and the buildings
were burned in many cities of Sind. Most of ATM machines were destroyed. In
some places, people were lucky to bring some money home. Banks had made
unprecedented profits during the last few years. There is no free banking
anymore, as was the case earlier from sixties.

Hundreds of private buses were burned in all parts of the country. The fares
have gone too high during Musharaf's eight years of rule. There were no more
public buses. Most of PMLQ government ministers had their own bus companies
and were making huge gains out of mass poverty. 

There were also incidents of burning of trains in Sind. According to the
Daily Jang, 28 railway stations, 13 railway engines and seven trains have
been burnt resulting over three billion rupees loss. The rail fares were
increased many fold by the Musharaf regime in a bid to reduce the railway
losses. It has been partly privatised as well. The whole rail system has
collapsed since the night of December 27. Thousands of passengers are on the
railway stations waiting for restoration. There is no sign of restoration
for some days. Pakistan International Airlines PIA and two private airlines,
Air Blue and Shaheen Air, have cancelled all their domestic flights on the
name of "rescheduling". The staff did not turn up.

Thousands of private cars have been damaged all over Pakistan by the angry
mobs, mainly youth. They were showing their anger on the car companies'
(mainly Toyota, Suzuki and Honda) unprecedented profits during the last few
years. Many leasing companies have robbed the growing middle classes by
offering cars with abnormal prices. While the massive majority of population
have no more subsidised public transport.

The houses and offices of PMLQ politicians, local government mayors and
administration are the other victims of the mass reaction. They have either
been burnt or damaged.

Over 100 people have so far died in the incidents related to mass protest,
either by police or in the crossfire of different groups during the last 40
hours.

Thousands and thousands have raised slogans against the Musharaf regime and
US imperialism after the death of Benazir Bhutto. The anger was accumulated
during the last eight years and was manifested after this unthinkable
incident. This was a response of the masses to the strict implementation of
the neoliberal agenda which has resulted in unprecedented price hikes,
unemployment and poverty. The anger that was to be shown in boycotting or
participating in the elections has come out early after the assassination of
Benazir Bhutto.

There is a great anti-Musharaf consciousness all over. It is been shown in
different ways in different parts of the country in different degrees. The
so-called capitalist economical growth under Musharaf has left millions in
absolute poverty. There was no Pakistan shining as was propagated by the
dictatorship all the times.

Year of mass awakening 
2007 has been a year of mass awakening. It started with the advocates
[lawyers] movement after the removal of the chief justice of Supreme Court
of Pakistan. The chief justice Iftikhar Choudry said a big "No" to resigning
under pressure by the generals. He was removed only to be reinstated on July
20 after a massive movement of 80,000 lawyers. They were joined by political
activists from almost all political parties but not by the masses. The
masses only welcomed the chief justice from the side roads and did not
participate in the movement in real terms.

Musharaf got himself elected as president for the second five-year term in a
"democratic manner" by a parliament elected for one five-year term. He was
still wearing military uniform when elected as a "civilian" president. His
theme was "elect me president for the second term and I will take off
uniform after taking oath as civilian president".

The November 2007 imposition of martial law on the name of emergency was
used to remove the rather independent top judges of Pakistan. It put
restrictions on the media and over 10,000 people were arrested. Musharaf got
himself duly "elected president" and took off uniform after removing the top
judges. His hand-picked judges gave him all the necessary backing.

He was helped in this process by Benazir Bhutto, who was -- in Tariq Ali's
words -- into a "forced arranged marriage" by US and British imperialism. In
this unholy alliance, every one was cheating everyone with utmost honestly.

The general elections were announced for January 8, 2008, and the emergency
lifted after the large-scale repression and the removal of an independent
judiciary. The regime was happy that everything was going according to
"plan". The Pakistan Peoples Party of Benazir Bhutto, the Muslim League
Nawaz and Quid Azam (PMLQ), the three major parties, had agreed to
participate in these fraudulent elections. The religious fundamentalist
political alliance MMA had split on the question of participation. One major
part of MMA had decided to contest the elections.

A campaign for a boycott of the election had started when the religious
fundamentalists struck and killed Benazir Bhutto on December 27 evening. The
"plan" was shattered into pieces. It was big blow to agreed terms and
conditions of various participating parties in the elections. It was not a
bump on the road but the total destruction of the road of conciliations and
compromises.

The murder of Benazir Bhutto is a double-edge sword. While it is a big blow
to the plans of British and US imperialism, it will also be no celebration
for the religious fundamentalist forces. The initial anger has gone against
the military regime and its crony politicians. It can go against the both.
No party will be able to celebrate the shocking killing.

But the Musharaf regime has understood this clearly and now is trying
consciously to put the direction of the movement against the religious
fundamentalists. Last night, December 28, in a two-hour press conference, a
military brigadier representing the government named Baitullah Mehsud, an Al
Qaeda associate in the tribal areas of Pakistan, as the one who carried out
the attack.

Foolishly he tried his best to prove that Benazir Bhutto was not killed by a
bullet but by her head hitting the lever of the sunroof of the bulletproof
car as she ducked after the bomb blast. What difference does it make, if it
is proved that Bhutto was killed not by the bullet but by another way? Not
much.

The brigadier's explanation did not satisfy the angry journalists, who asked
him again and again about the connections of the secret intelligence
agencies of Pakistan with Abdullah Mahsood. The question, Why had Mahsood
released quietly more than 200 Pakistan army men on the day of the
imposition of emergency, who were kidnapped by his group a week earlier,
went unanswered. The military's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has a long
relationship with the religious fundamentalists groups dating back to the
eighties when the imperialists and the fundamentalists were close friends.

Volatile situation 

It is a very volatile, unstable, unpredictable, explosive, dangerous,
impulsive, fickle and capricious political situation. It never happened
before in many years that mass reaction has erupted to this degree.

The general strike was a total success. All roads were empty. No traffic at
all. All shops were closed. All industrial and other institutions were
completely shut down.

After an initial inhibition to curb the strike, the regime has now issued
strict orders to kill anyone on the spot who is "looting". It has called the
regular army in 16 districts of Sind and paramilitary forces elsewhere in
Pakistan.

The regime has so far not postponed the scheduled elections but it will be
very difficult to hold elections in this situation. The Muslim League Nawaz
and several other political parties have already announced they will boycott
the fraudulent elections.

The Labour Party Pakistan is demanding the immediate resignation of the
Musharaf dictatorship and the formation of an interim government comprising
of civil society organisations, trade unions and peasant organisations. This
interim government would hold free and fair general elections under an
independent election commission.

The LPP is demanding an immediate restoration of the top judges and
investigations of Benazir's and others' murder in this and previous bomb
blasts. As part of the All Parties Democratic Movement, LPP is supporting a
three-day general strike and linking it to the overthrow of the military
dictatorship. It is asking all parties to reject the general elections fraud
on January 8 and not to participate in these elections.

[Farooq Tariq is general secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan. Email
labourpartypk@xxxxxxxxx , visit http://www.laborpakistan.org
 or http://www.jeddojuhd.com
.] 



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