First published by Asian Marxist Review, this press release is being reproduced here without modification:
In a joint press release issued by the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), Revolutionary Students Front (RSF), Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) and Peoples Revolutionary Front (PRF), it has been stated that the escalation of the Pak-Afghan dispute into a direct war over the issue of cross-border terrorism is nothing short of a tragedy. Once again, it will be the poor masses on both sides of the Durand Line particularly the Pashtun populations who will bear the brunt of this conflict. This situation did not arise overnight; rather, it is the result of decades-long policies pursued by US imperialism, the Gulf monarchies, and regional states including Pakistan, which have brought matters to this critical juncture.
From the launch of the “Dollar Jihad” to crush the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan to the pursuit of the so-called “strategic depth” policy (by the Pakistani state), these armed fundamentalist groups (operating in various forms and under different names, including different factions of the Taliban and ISIS) have been nurtured and used as imperialist proxies. In this regard, a vast network of thousands of madrassas (religious seminaries) was established for recruitment and funding; so-called “peaceful” political or missionary fundamentalist groups were facilitated; and, with the cooperation of the American CIA, the criminal enterprise of narcotics production and smuggling was initiated. Widespread unemployment, poverty, alienation among millions of young people, along with the onslaught of reactionary rhetoric and ideologies through educational institutions and the media, also created a conducive environment for this imperialist project. These are bitter historical facts that have consistently been concealed. Today, however, key representatives of the US and Pakistani states including those who celebrated the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021 are compelled to acknowledge them.
Over time, however, this entire process acquired a relatively autonomous logic. These jihadist groups have grown not only in numbers but also in military capability and financial strength, gradually slipping out of the control of their former patrons. With the involvement of new imperialist powers such as India, China, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, this new era of the “Great Game” has become even more complex. After two decades of bloodshed in Afghanistan, US imperialism and its allies fled overnight, leaving behind large quantities of the most advanced weaponry. This emboldened not only the Taliban but other fundamentalist groups as well, granting them greater autonomy and a more favorable operational environment. After seizing Kabul, the Taliban have unleashed brutal repression on the Afghan people, particularly women and are hell-bent on dragging Afghanistan back into the Stone Age. Meanwhile, terrorist attacks in Pakistan by affiliated groups such as the TTP (the Pakistani Taliban, mostly operating from Afghanistan) have multiplied several times over. In these attacks, not only police and security personnel (most of whom come from poor working-class families) but also ordinary civilians are being killed in large numbers.
Not only the experience of the past decade and a half, but even a cursory understanding of the mindset, methods, and economic foundations of these terrorist groups makes it clear that any negotiations or reconciliation with them are impossible. The insistence until recently by certain factions within the state and by fundamentalist-leaning forces such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Imran Khan on “negotiations” amounted to facilitating and emboldening these groups. The confusion deliberately spread in the name of talks, along with the policies of distinguishing between “good” and “bad” Taliban, played a role in bringing the situation to this point. As a result of this hesitation, duplicity, and the approach of partial trimming rather than uprooting the problem entirely, military operations have yielded no meaningful results despite heavy human and material losses among tribal populations and security forces; indeed, conditions have worsened. However, contrary to official thinking and liberal illusions, we also clarify that this issue cannot be resolved through purely military means. Until a massive political, social, economic, and cultural struggle backed by the broad masses of the region is waged not only against such armed religious fanatics but against all forms of fundamentalism, no lasting peace or stability is possible.
In this regard, we demand:
- The abandonment of the “strategic depth” doctrine and associated policies of creating “good” and “bad” Taliban, proxy groups, or so-called “assets.”
- An end to support or indirect facilitation of such ‘jihadist’ groups not only along the western border but also in Kashmir and other parts of the country and administered territories. Their funding networks so-called donations and charities, legal and illegal business activities, kidnapping for ransom, narcotics, contract killings, and extortion must be dismantled.
- In terrorism-affected areas, governance, policing and defense should be organized through locally elected panchayats/jirgas (basically local forms of people’s councils). Armed defense committees under the control and participation of students, workers, and the broader public are the only means to confront and defeat disruptive, fascistic, and terrorist elements.
- Transparency in investigations of cross-border attacks and domestic counter-terror operations must be ensured through the involvement of grassroots public representatives (and, when necessary, other non-controversial and trustworthy individuals). Extrajudicial actions and enforced disappearances must end, and those involved in terrorism must be prosecuted through courts. Removing procedural delays and obstacles is the state’s responsibility.
- We believe the Taliban have nothing to do with Afghanistan’s security or sovereignty. They are a fanatical, fascistic, occupying force imposed upon the Afghan people by imperialism and represent the greatest threat to Afghanistan’s integrity. It is therefore the duty of workers, students, and progressive political activists across Pakistan, including Punjab, to extend solidarity and political support to the Afghan people’s struggle against this monster.
- Tens of thousands of madrassas across the country have become factories of fundamentalism, where destitute children from poor backgrounds are subjected to worst forms of abuse and used as raw material for terrorism. This is a gigantic human tragedy arising both from state facilitation and abdication of responsibility. Unless these institutions are nationalized and integrated into a modern education system, fundamentalism and its associated violence cannot be eradicated.
- The objective social conditions underpinning religious fanaticism and terrorismpoverty, unemployment, despair, and alienation must be addressed. Every form of capitalism in Pakistan, including the neoliberal model, has failed, leading to inflation, economic hardship, and shrinking access to dignified employment, education, and healthcare. These conditions push many young people toward drugs, crime, or fundamentalist tendencies for social and economic support. We demand the abandonment of imperialist neoliberal policies based on privatization, austerity, debt traps, and anti-worker laws. The state must assume responsibility for education, healthcare, housing, and employment as fundamental human rights through concrete economic planning.
- All political and non-political organizations, institutions, and congregations that directly or indirectly promote religious extremism, fanaticism, and violence and often serve as nurseries for armed terrorist groups must lose official patronage. Their assets should be confiscated by the state, and related television channels and newspapers banned.
- Reactionary, dogmatic and unscientific material must be removed from educational curricula and the education system aligned with contemporary requirements.
- Instead of spending enormous resources on wars and military operations, an emergency and comprehensive five- to ten-year development plan for the tribal areas (formerly FATA) should be launched under the supervision and control of local elected representatives. These areas must be equipped with proper water supply and drainage systems, modern hospitals and educational institutions (including universities), industries and service institutions suited to local resources and needs (prioritizing local employment), affordable and dignified public transport, and housing units. Those involved in narcotics cultivation and trade should be provided alternative livelihoods. Small farmers and businesses should receive easy, interest-free loans.
- The ban on student unions imposed during the dark dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq not only facilitated fundamentalist trends but also allowed fascistic and personality cult tendencies, such as those associated with PTI, to flourish. Suppression of political activity and unionization in educational institutions has severely damaged students’ consciousness and led to ideological and cultural crisis. Therefore, the ban on student unions must be lifted in practice not merely rhetorically to promote healthy political processes, democratic values, and intellectual debate.
- The current climate of war and military operations has fueled bilateral linguistic prejudices and national hatreds. This is deeply concerning and regrettable. Mutual hostility among the oppressed always benefits the exploiting and ruling classes whether Pakistani state or the Afghan Taliban. Under present conditions, some Pashtun nationalist and liberal circles, along with reactionary elements such as PTI, are supporting the Taliban merely out of hostility to the Pakistani state or on the basis of national chauvinism. This is an anti-people, reactionary, and opportunistic position. On the other hand, there is no shortage of Punjabi/Pakistani chauvinists spewing venom against Afghans or Pashtuns an equally toxic and condemnable stance. These seemingly opposing tendencies are, in fact, two sides of the same coin, reinforcing and completing one another. Every conscious individual must oppose them and fight not the oppressed of another nation but the real enemy at home.
- We reject all forms of ethnic prejudice, hatred, and nationalist or state hostility between the peoples of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We also want to make it clear that even if, hypothetically, the Taliban regime were to fall as a result of an external attack by Pakistan or any other power, it would not automatically be replaced by a healthy, democratic, and people-friendly government. As we have already witnessed in the form of a U.S.-backed puppet government, such outcomes do not bring genuine change. The crisis has become so grave that it cannot be cured without a revolutionary surgery. Only through class solidarity among the oppressed and exploited of all nations, and struggle against the imperialist capitalist system that breeds wars, terrorism, poverty, and hunger, can lasting peace and far-reaching development and prosperity be secured.