Bomb Blast in Karachi – Fascist MQM tries to sabotage the mass movement

Eleven people were killed and 50 injured on Monday in the Karachi industrial area of Quaidabad when a bomb exploded at a roadside market near Gul Ahmed Textile mills. The area lies within the National Assembly constituency of NA-257 Karachi19. The Pakistan People's Party candidate here is Comrade Riaz Hussain Lund Baloch who is leading a revolutionary election campaign in the constituency against the fascist MQM. He stands on the ideas of revolutionary socialism.

The area where the bomb exploded historically was a stronghold of the PPP but the fascist forces of black reaction made gains in the constituency over the past few years. These reactionary forces always use tactics of fear and terror to keep the masses away from the political process. Anyone putting up resistance to their mafia business can easily be killed, since the State and its institutions protect these forces to keep the masses out of the political process so that they can easily impose their will upon the downtrodden people.

Comrade Riaz Lund's election poster

However, the situation is radically different now. Comrade Riaz Lund was awarded the parliamentary ticket for the constituency by the late Benazir Bhutto to fight against these fascists and he is contesting this campaign along revolutionary lines. The slogan on his poster says, "We the toilers have waged a war against the wealthy". This has been very popular among the poor people in the constituency.

Major industrial units of Pakistan are situated within this constituency. Most of the biggest textile mills in the country lie in this area along with other key industries like General Tyre and Pakistan Machine Tool Factory. Bin Qasim Port, the main artery for the Pakistani economy is also within this constituency.

Pakistan Steel Mills also lie adjacent to this constituency where comrade Riaz Lund has a long history of trade unionism. He also led a decisive struggle against the privatisation of the Steel Mills, which was overturned thanks to the efforts of the comrades inside the plant. The lawyers' movement in Pakistan and the contradictions between the judiciary and the Generals were also sharpened due to the issue of the privatisation of the Steel Mills.

Now the State is once again intent on privatizing the Steel Mills along with another important industrial unit, Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, which is in the process of being privatised.

All these issue, together with the revolutionary campaign of comrade Riaz Lund from the platform of the Pakistan People's Party represent a major obstacle for the State and its reactionary stooges.

The masses are emphatically supporting comrade Riaz and he is tipped to win his seat in this constituency which will be a big blow for the fascists and the Musharraf Government. Currently the administration of Karachi and the whole of the Sindh Province are in the hands of the MQM and they are trying their best to stop the mass mobilization in this key area. They are using all means possible to harass the people and sabotage the election process. In past they have even killed the main people who put up resistance to them.

Abdullah Murad Baloch of the Pakistan People's Party was elected Member of the Sindh Assembly in PS-127 in the 2002 elections. This Provincial Assembly constituency also lies within the National Assembly constituency of 257. He was very active in raising the voice of the people who were being tyrannized by the fascists. Abdullah Murad was assassinated by these reactionary forces in 2004 to curb the voice of people.

The dramatic event of last May 12^th also underlines the tendency of these forces to kill opponents. On that day these thugs in Karachi opened fire on a rally of nearly ten thousand people protesting against the dictatorial rule of Musharraf. The armed thugs of the MQM were sitting on the rooftops of the buildings along the road waiting for the rally to pass. When thousands of people passed along the road they opened fire from above on unarmed demonstrators, killing many innocent people while hundreds were injured. This incident alone sent a wave of terror and fright among the citizens of Karachi. Comrade Riaz was also hit by two bullets in this incident and narrowly escaped from the scene.

The bomb blast on January 14^th is another attempt by the MQM to harass the people and disrupt the ongoing election campaign in NA-257 where they feel they are losing the seat.

The general election is due on February 18^th and up to then these gangsters will use every means at their disposal to scare the people so that they don't come out to vote.

However, the masses are raging with revenge and are seeking a revolutionary alternative that can lift them out of the miserable conditions they live in. When Comrade Riaz Lund visited the people injured in the blast in Jinnah Hospital, he was warmly welcomed. The injured people there raised slogans against the MQM and against president Musharraf. They assured the comrades that now the situation has changed and the people will not allow anyone to sabotage the mass mobilisation.

Any attempt to foil the movement of the masses will only serve to give renewed strength to the people to fight against this tyranny and cruelty. Now the lines will be drawn on a class basis and the path that will be followed is none other than revolution.

• The intervention of the Pakistani Marxists in the movement against the assassination of Benazir Bhutto by Adam Pal (January 9, 2008)
• Pakistan: Government covers up the crime - masses demand action against conspirators by Alan Woods (December 30, 2007)
• Leaflet of the Pakistani comrades by The Struggle (December 31, 2007)
• Pakistan: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto by Alan Woods (December 27, 2007)