Activists of YFIS-Pakistan suffer brutal attack

Some students have been injured by gunshots

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Youth For International Socialism (Pakistan) in the Bahaudin Zakriya University (BZU) in Multan, Pakistan, with collaboration of the People's Student Federation of Multan (the student wing of Pakistan Peoples Party) has been struggling courageously and uninterruptedly to defend the students’ affairs and sort out their problems. In particular it has been involved in a long fight against the ruthless increase in student fees. Student facilities have been reduced while fees have been increased. YFIS-Pakistan has been providing the students with guidance on these issues, and many strikes, protests have been launched in the BZU against the exploitation of the students and the corruption of the administration.

In reaction to this the corrupt and reactionary Mafia has threatened many students. The administration of BZU was in search of an excuse to create a situation where it could attack the emerging youth leadership which was becoming more and more popular not only at BZU, but was also spreading its influence outside the university.

On April 2, 2003,while the US was carrying out its aggression on Iraq, YFIS-Pakistan organized the biggest rally in the university's history. More than 2000 students participated in this rally, and it was the first political activity there in the last 19 years of depoliticisation in the educational institutions. It was a great event because none of the educational institutions in Pakistan had been involved in this question. These marvellous events strengthened our standing among the students and frustrated the university administration that has never been in a mood to allow any sort of political or revolutionary activity in the university.

Meanwhile the war against exploitation and corruption continued. YFIS managed to organise three press conferences against this exploitation and corruption. So in these conditions the administration was seeking and planning its "revenge". On November 7, YFIS and the PTUDC were celebrating the 86th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, in which the leadership of YFIS BZU participated. When the YFIS comrades returned to the university at night, they suffered a surprise attack and kidnapping and they were shot at by the fascist students’ organization, a wing of the reactionary fundamentalist "Jamaat-e-Islami", that is "Islami Jamiat Tulaba". They beat up two of our comrades using rods while the others were injured by gunfire. Aamir Latif, Aatif, Akbar Chaudary were injured by gunshots.

While this was happening the other leaders of the PSF and YFIS were called by the administration to negotiate. And when they turned up they were handed over to the police. This was clearly a carefully planned action on the part of the corrupt administration together with the reactionary Islami Jamiat Tulaba. A joint case was registered. Fifteen of our comrades were arrested, and they were presented in court on remand. Four others were named and accused. In the report no ammunition was shown to our comrades. The fact is that our comrades had none. It was the Jamiat students that were armed! Despite this the morale of all our comrades is very high. State repression and reactionary attacks have strengthened their commitment. We need solidarity messages for our comrades who are suffering the wrath of the state and for those who have been injured in this planned and brutal attack.

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Report by Hina Zain, Organizer YFIS-Pakistan

See also:

Teachers organise against privatisation in the Punjab (Pakistan) by Abubakar (October 20 2003 Lahore).

The terrible plight of the Baluchistan coalminers (June 2003).

Asian Marxist Review - Editorial statement issue June 2003 (May 2003).

The workers of the Dhudhiwala power looms in Faisalabad are on the move (May 20, 2003).

The strike at the Nishtar Medical College of Multan (May 11, 2003).

War and peace on the Indian subcontinent - A class perspective By Lal Khan, Editor of the Asian Marxist Review, (May 13, 2003)

May Day in Pakistan (May 11, 2003).

Pakistan: Strike of schoolgirls in Wah (April 26, 2003).

Marxist MP elected to Parliament in Pakistan! (October 11, 2002)

Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign

God Almighty, could anything be more useless than a Pakistani Socialist? Don't those people have enough problems?