Three Left parties of Pakistan have decided to organise a picket of American Consulate in Lahore in solidarity with the Egyptian masses to overthrow the Husni dictatorship. This is protest American imperialism consistent support to Husni Mubarak dictatorship. The parties are Labour Party Pakistan, Workers Party Pakistan and Awami Jamhuri Forum. The protest will start at 3pm on 2 February at Shimla Pehari Lahore in front of American Consulate.

Abid Hasan Minto president Workers Party Pakistan, Farooq Tariq spokesperson Labour Party Pakistan and Jamil Umer general secretary Awami Jamhuri Forum said in a joint statement, that Pakistani masses are in complete solidarity with the mass upsurge of the Egyptian people. They must win and they will win. It is duty of all the progressive forces of the world to come in open to support the heroic struggle of the Egyptian people against Husni dictatorship and its imperialist bosses.

They said that a revolution is taking place in Egypt after Tunisia and will spread to other dictatorial regimes in Middle East and other parts of the world including Pakistan. The situation as with any revolution is changing from hour to hour. Any evaluation will undoubtedly be overtaken by events within a few hours or days. But already we can say that the Tunisia and Egyptian people are writing the first pages of the revolutions of the 21^st century. They are sending shock waves throughout the Arab world, from Algiers to Ramallah, from Amman to Sana’a in Yemen. These revolutions result, within the particular historical conditions of this society, from the crisis that is shaking the world capitalist system. The “poverty riots” are combined with an immense mobilisation for democracy. The effects of the world economic crisis combined with the oppressive dictatorships, are making these countries the weak links in imperialist domination in the current situation. They are creating the conditions for the opening of processes of social and democratic revolution.

In Tunisia, a bloody dictatorship was cut down. It was the focus of the hatred of a whole society; the popular classes and especially of youth. The Ben Ali regime, its repression, its corruption, a system supported by all the imperialist powers, France, the USA, the European Union, had to be thrown out. It is this same movement that is sweeping through Egypt today.

There are, of course, historical differences between the two countries. Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab world. It has a decisive geostrategic place in the Middle East. The structures of the State, the institutions, and the role of the Army are different there. But it is the same basic movement that is affecting the two countries.

Egypt had accepted all the dictates of the World bank and WTO and experienced the effects of this explosion of food prices. The economy does not create enough jobs to provide for the population’s needs. The neoliberal policies implemented since 2000 have caused an explosion of inequalities and the impoverishment of millions of families. Nearly 40% of the 80 million Egyptians continue to live on less than two dollars per day. And 90% of the unemployed are young people under 30.

The left leaders of Pakistan said in the joint statement that getting rid of the dictatorship and of all operations that want to protect the power of the ruling classes means today opening a process of free elections for a constituent Assembly. This process must be based on the organisation of committees, councils, coordination and popular councils that have emerged from the process if it is not to be confiscated by a new oligarchic regime. In this process, we will defend the key demands of a programme breaking with imperialism and capitalist logic: satisfaction of the vital needs of the popular classes - bread, wages, jobs; reorganization of the economy on the basis of fundamental social needs - free and adequate public services, schools, health, women’s rights, radical land reform, socialization of the banks and key sectors of the economy, broadening social protection for unemployment, health and retirement, cancellation of the debt, national and popular sovereignty. This is the programme of a democratic government that would be at the service of the workers and the population.

In Egypt, at the time we are writing this statement, the country is in a state of insurrection. In spite of bloody repression, the waves of mobilisation of the people develop. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are in the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. The regime is vacillating. The Army leadership supported by the USA has tried a “self-managed coup” putting Omar Suleiman, head of the secret services and pillar of the current regime, alongside Mubrak as vice-president. The army is strained. There have been scenes of fraternisation between the people and the soldiers but faced with the determination of the Egyptians the Army leadership could also choose confrontation and harsh repression.

They said that the demand of the millions in the streets is crystal clear: Mubarak must go, but it is the whole dictatorship, the whole repressive apparatus that must be brought down and a democratic process with all rights and freedoms set in place. For the last 30 years Mubarak has maintained a dictatorial regime, imprisoning and murdering his opponents, suppressing any independent expression of the social movement and political opposition. The electoral masquerade of November 2010, entirely controlled by the National Democratic Party which won more than 80% of the seats, is the latest example.

They said that We will build a solidarity wall around the revolutionary processes which developing in Tunisia and Egypt, supported by active solidarity with the mobilisations throughout the Arab world. We cannot ignore the possibility of bad blows from the repressive apparatus of Ben Ali, or the threats of his friend Gaddafi. Also, if the regime decides on confrontation the Army leaders could unleash bloody repression.

They said that we call on Pakistani masses to show their solidarity with the Egyptian masses and rise up in Pakistan to end the corrupt feudal and capitalist system. We call upon the government of Pakistan to stop implementing neo liberal agenda, an end of privatization, say no to repayment of the foreign debts, announce land reforms, separate religion from the affairs of the state and a minimum wage of 15000 for every adult unskilled worker.

Farooq Tariq