In the sweltering heat of Pakistan, the working class is finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. The simple act of turning on a fan or using a refrigerator, for those who can afford one, results in an electricity bill that far exceeds their household earnings. This financial burden is compounded by frequent power outages, known as load-shedding, which leave many without electricity for long hours.
Economic policies and their impact on the root of this crisis can be traced back to 1994 when the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pushed Independent Power Producers (IPPs) into Pakistan. These agreements require the country to pay these power producers at exorbitant dollar rates. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ruling class, both military and civilian, largely evade paying income taxes, leaving the working masses to shoulder the financial burden.
Public debt and class war in the IPP scandal is just one aspect of a larger economic crisis. Pakistan faces public debt obligations of $70 billion over the next three years, not including private debt to commercial banks. This mounting debt signifies an intensifying class war against the working people, who are already struggling with attacks on their livelihoods.
Agricultural and industrial challenges are going under the Urban sprawl and unchecked real estate development is consuming agricultural land, forcing small and landless farmers into daily wage labour in cities without any social safety net. In rural areas, the situation is dire, with many abandoning agriculture or falling into forms of servitude. Even middle-sized farmers are not spared, as evidenced by the wheat import scandal that affected large parts of the Seraiki belt and central Punjab.
The lack of income tax among Pakistan’s ruling class significantly impacts the working class by exacerbating financial burdens and income inequality.
The industrial working class, once a powerful entity with robust trade unions, is now on the defensive. Workers face insecure pay, poor working conditions, and a lack of basic amenities such as affordable housing.
Ethnic peripheries and economic injustice in the ethnic peripheries of Pakistan, such as Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the class war takes on different forms. In Balochistan, peaceful protesters demanding economic justice and an end to enforced disappearances have faced severe repression. In the mountainous regions, land and mineral grabs are rampant, often justified in the name of ‘tourism’ and ‘development’. These areas also face cuts in wheat subsidies and hikes in electricity bills.
Resistance and hope despite the bleak situation, there are pockets of resistance. However, these efforts are often isolated due to a lack of a unified understanding of class, nation, and empire. The state has actively suppressed progressive political movements, artists, and intellectuals while promoting divisive ideologies.
Today’s class war is arguably more intense and harder to resist than in the 20th century when progressive principles heavily influenced mainstream politics. Nevertheless, there is hope in the form of iconic organizations like the National Students Federation and the Baloch Students Organization, which historically aligned themselves with global liberation struggles.
A call for universalist politics with the class war now also playing out on ecological terrains, there is a growing need for universalist politics that can unite young people around a shared vision for the future. The struggle of Pakistan’s working class is not just a local issue but part of a broader fight against economic injustice and exploitation worldwide.
However, the working people of Pakistan are indeed struggling to breathe, caught in a web of economic policies, debt obligations, and systemic exploitation. Yet, amidst this struggle, there is a glimmer of hope for a more just and equitable future.
