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The Struggle ( Urdu: طبقاتی جدوجہد) is a Trotskyite, Left-wing organization in Pakistan whose main theoretician was Lal Khan. They are publishing their paper organ "طبقاتی جہدوجہد" for past 42 years its editor is now Rang Elahi. The headquarters of The Struggle is located at Lahore.

Formation

The seeds of the genuine Marxist politics was planted in 1980 in Netherlands, when a number of leftist Pakistani activists who had fled Pakistan to escape Zia’s repression found themselves in Amsterdam in the cold November 1980. ^[1] The country was ruled by the notorious General Zia. ^[2] These leftist Pakistani activists were Farooq Tariq, Tanvir Gondal (now better known as Lal Khan), Muhammed Amjad and Ayub Gorya who Brainstormed ideas and strategies to oppose Zia while in exile and came up with the concept for a progressive organisation they dubbed the Struggle Group which would keep the flame of protest alive, even in exile. ^[3]

In November 1980, the Struggle group decided to start a monthly Urdu magazine called Jidd-o-jehed or The Struggle ^[1]۔ The Struggle magazine soon developed a cult status among the Pakistani diaspora, and poets like Habib Jalib, Ahmad Faraz and Faiz Ahmed Faiz started contributing to the magazine by writing revolutionary and anti-dictatorship Urdu poems for the magazine. ^[1] In December 1984, the magazine published a poem ^[1] Main Baaghi Hoon, written by Khalid Javaid Jan. ^[4] The poem became a staple in popular culture due to its revolutionary tone and was used in underground protests as a weapon against Dictator Zia. ^[5]

The Struggle group continued their activism in exile against military dictatorship in Pakistan and went on to organise a mass funeral for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in front of the Pakistani embassy in Holland with nearly 500 participants. The charged environment also saw participants throw stones at the embassy’s windows and Farooq was briefly arrested by Dutch police. ^[1] Arrests, activism and attempts by Pakistani authorities to get them arrested made them popular with leftist and progressive movements in Europe. They campaigned on worker issues, against racism, immigrant issues and anti-nuclearisation with local left parties. ^[1] The group was also in contact with the Committee for a Workers International (CWI), a Trotskyist “international.”

Pakistan base

In 1986, the Struggle group started working from Pakistani soil when Farooq Tariq and Lal Khan returned to Pakistan. ^[3] The Struggle followed a strategy known as Entryism, a theory that small militant groups should join mainstream workers’ parties in order to pull them to the left. ^[6] The strategy is employed in an attempt to expand influence and was advocated by Trotsky. ^[7] The Struggle at this stage was the official section of CWI in Pakistan and thus worked within PPP. ^[3]

In early 1990s, the Committee for a Workers International (CWI) split in two over the question of Entryism. Peter Taaffe, a prominent member of English section of the CWI advocated an “ Open Turn”, implying the building of an independent organization and an end to “Entryism”. ^[7] Whereas, another faction led by Ted Grant wanted to maintain its “entrist” strategy. ^[7] The Struggle also suffered the split and Farooq Tariq, along with perhaps one dozen Struggle members, followed Peter Taaffe’s lead and went on to build an independent political party for workers in Pakistan. ^[3] The other faction, led by Lal Khan, continued with its "entryism" inside the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). According to this theory a small militant groups should join mainstream workers’ parties in order to pull them to the left. ^[8] The strategy is employed in an attempt to expand influence and was advocated by Trotsky. ^[9]

Publications

Lal Khan continued to be the editor of the Struggle magazine and leader of the Struggle group till his death. He also writes articles regularly for the Daily Times ^[10] and Dunya. ^[11] The Struggle group has their own publication agency and has published numerous books and leaflets on topics including Marxist ideology, history of Marxist struggle in Pakistan, and various books covering history of Bolshevik revolution. Some of the books are: Partition – Can it be undone?, ^[12] Pakistan's Other Story – The Revolution of 1968–69, ^[13] and Kashmir, A revolutionary way out. ^[14] Books in Urdu language include, ^[15] whereas translated publications from other language into Urdu include. ^[16] On centenary of Russian revolution; a 1,200-page translation of Leon Trotsky’s classic work, History of the Russian Revolution has been published into Urdu language by The Struggle group. ^[17] It is the first time that the book has been translated to any South Asian language. ^[18]

Open Work

The Struggle's trade union front is known as Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), and multiple other fronts working among Youth, including Unemployed Youth Movement. In 2015, youth and students fronts of the Struggle started a campaign to bring together prominent left-wing students and youth organizations from across the country on a single platform. ^[19] It holds its regularly its congress which are held to analyse the performance of The Struggle and to formulate new strategies for social change and revolution. ^{[20] [21]} In March 2013, Malala Yousafzai sent solidarity message to The Struggle congress. ^[22] In Pakistani general election, 2018 its prominent leader Ali Wazir has been elected as member of National Assembly of Pakistan. ^[23]

ISL & 2023 Split

After the death of Lal Khan, struggle continue to organize. At end of 2021, a delegation from organization attended first congress of International Socialist League and later decided to be a part of it. ^[24] At end of 2022 there was debate among ISL over Ukraine war, SEP Turkish group left the ISL arguing that ISL's focus on the "defeat of Russia" which the SEP considers aligning them with NATO's goals. The SEP argued that socialists should oppose their own imperialist countries. ^[25] The International Socialist League (ISL), particularly its Argentine branch (MST), has been criticized for its stance on the Ukraine War. Critics argue that the ISL's support for Ukraine contradicts socialist principles. They point to the presence of right-wing elements in Ukraine, including the historical collaboration of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) with the Nazis, as evidence that the ISL is neglecting its anti-fascist values. Furthermore, critics see the war as a US-led proxy conflict against Russia, and believe the ISL is unwittingly supporting a wider geopolitical struggle against China. This alignment with NATO's goals, they argue, comes at the expense of Ukrainian workers and youth, who are being treated as expendable pawns in the conflict. ^[26] Due to these discussions, a split also happened in The Struggle. Both factions parted their ways and one is still supporting ISL and other want to again return to traditional methods of entryism. The main leadership of The Struggle Pakistan is also accused of moving away from its ideology and drifted towards the "New Left". This was a significant departure from the group's previous commitment to Ted Grant and embraced Morenoite legacy. ^[27]

References

External links

• Official Website