Communist Party of Pakistan

Capitalist economy is intrinsically crises based economy and international capitalism perpetually keeps facing crises,thus it causes escalating contradictions among developed countries.

Economic contradictions between America and China have entered the phase of the cold war. Both have always symbiotic host relations with Pakistan . superpowers. And Pakistani economy is standing on the borrowed crutches provided by these powers, which is obviously at the lowest ebb in history . The prime reason behind the drastic downfall of Pakistan’s financial standing is the lavish expenditures by the ruling elite and military Generals. They have never let to build and empower the economic institutions to become backbones of the country’s economy, but have adopted a rather very viscous policy of running the country totally dependent on foreign aids and loans. In exchange, the security institution of Pakistan provided safeguarding the vested interest of imperialism. For example, the Pakistan military played a distasteful role in Afghanistan against Soviet Union and the Revolutionary government of Afghanistan during the cold war era between Soviet Union and America.

Even after that Pakistan continued supplying mercenaries and jihadis to different countries and received aid and loans in return. In the recent past the scenario has changed and new blocks are emerging. Under these circumstances economic crises in Pakistan are deepening, the economy is totally dependent on Imperialist financial Institutions. Total debt for the last seventy-two years is around thirty thousand billion rupees. Out of which the present regime received loans of fourteen thousand six hundred billion in the last two years under the same conditionality. Today in Pakistan, even the finance minister is an employee of Imperialist Financial Agencies,consequently, the economy is further deteriorating, instead of improving.

Within the last two years Pakistani rupee has been devalued by forty eight percent and under the imperialist dictation the tax system is devised in such a way that the cost of production has so much increased as a result the survival of indigenous manufacturing industry is in critical condition. Consequently workers are losing jobs. The review shows that one million workers lost their jobs during fiscal year 2018-19. Rate of economic growth during 2018-19 dropped from 5.8% to 3.3%. Lack of job opportunities pushed the 0.8 million population below the poverty line during 2018-19 inclusive of the first three months of 2020.

Covid 19 pandemic escalated this chaos. According to official data 303079 cases were registered up

to September 16, recovered patients were 98% and death rate was 2%. Under the given conditions this data is not reliable but as we don’t have any other sources, so we take it as considerable. Most of the people did not take Covid seriously because of religious frenzy. Large scale testing was not possible due to high cost in private hospitals and spurious results at the public hospitals .Privatization Policy of the public health institutions through substandard facilities, low income groups are deprived of any help from the state. Leaving aside the data of lower death rate lock-down worst hit the economy. Government again failed to help.

Some four million people lost their jobs and businesses lost billions. As a result exports dropped by fifty percent on one hand and purchasing power declined on the other, domestic gross products are showing a drastic downward trend. Agriculture sector is equally facing the most negative effects. Farm , peasantry and work force depending on Agri-based industry are hit,severely.

In addition to that Imperialist financial agencies have set their own goals. Increased tax, devaluation of currency, scarcity of jobs and pandemic are other externalizations which have hit Pakistani economy very badly more than any other country.

The party has organized protest rallies and sit-ins to build pressure on the authorities,striving to help the people. Income support program, initiated by the government of Pakistan People’s Party for the poor families. The current PTI government stopped the payments for months and afterwards started the payment in mass gatherings violating SOPs for propaganda purposes. This resulted in further spread of the viral morbidity . Communist Party arranged protest rallies, processions and sit-ins to help workers and peasants, strictly observing SOPs by organizing processions in rows of four persons and keeping safe distance. As a result of Anti-People Policies of the ruling elite, the number of people living below the poverty line is increasing. One can witness groups of beggars in every street, lane and crossing of the road, brothels are increasing and poor families are forced to sell their body organs specially kidney selling has become a dirty business.

Covid-19 pandemic has drastically affected the economy which was already in crises around the globe.Capitalist countries are announcing bail out packages for the poor but in Pakistan the government is showing indifference in this regard, too . Ruling elite is throwing total burden of economic chaos on the shoulder of the general public is the tradition of the capitalist system.Covid pandemic started showing its deadly effects in Europe and America amid the popular protest against the murder of Gorge Floyd. High cost of health facilities in America and other countries aggravated the protest. People’s wrath against the policies of the state were evident. They started dismantling and destroying statues of imperialist war lords and slave traders. On the other hand, people erected statues of Lenin at different places. Likewise, in Pakistan state narrative is exposed. People are openly criticizing the policies of the state, popular pressure is building against the lavish lifestyle of ruling classes and unchecked huge expenditure of security organizations. People are asking to c rb the corruption and curtail the expenditure of these organizations. To control this, a bill has been passed by the parliament according to which any criticism are cutting jokes on social media in writing or verbal, against military Generals or any person related to these organs is punishable by two years’ imprisonment and a fine of half million rupees. Another bill has also been passed by the parliament which allows the security agencies to abduct and keep any person in custody for 180 days without arrest warrant or judicial remand. Abduction of political workers criticizing the ruling class was a routine in the past but now it is legalized. The Judiciary is helpless in this regard. The state has legally become a fascist state.

Under these circumstances Communist party of Pakistan is striving to organize working classes and the general public. It is useless to have any hope from the ruling class parties, as these are partners of the military junta to plunder people, utilize national resources for their own benefits and tailor fascist laws.

Communist Party is also striving to make a united front of left-wing forces on a minimum agenda of common points to start a joint struggle.