By Awais Qarni
The Struggle’s National Marxist Summer School was held on 22nd, 23rd and 24thJuly 2016 in the pleasant climate of Khanaspur, District Abbottabad. Comrades from all different regions and areas of Pakistan participated in the school. A total of 150 youth were in attendance. There were five sessions of discussions spread over three days.
Asif Rasheed from host region, North Punjab formally opened the school debate on the morning of 22nd July. He welcomed all comrades and outlined the importance of national summer school 2016 and the objective conditions in which this activity was being held. The first session of the school was “South Asian Perspectives” and this was chaired by Ahmad Ammar from North Punjab and led off by Rizwan Akhtar form Lahore. Rizwan provided a detailed analysis of the economic, social and political situation prevalent in the world. He went in to detail on the crisis gripping India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and other smaller countries within the South Asian region particularly condition of the working classes and their movements. After the lead off comrades and participants asked detailed questions and contributed to the discussion. Shazia from Faisalabad, Raheem from DG Khan, Ammar Yasir from Faisalabad, Sartaj from Baluchistan, Rashid Shiekh from Kashmir, Masood Afzal from Rahimyar Khan, Moosa from Dadu, Nadir from Multan, Rahul from Hyderabad, SangeenBacha from Peshawar, Umar Rasheed from Faisalabad and Imran Kamyana from Lahore took part in the discussion. Topics like the Asiatic 
mode of production, uneven and combined development in South Asia and Trotsky’s theory of permanent revolution were discussed and elaborated to enrich the perspective. In his summing up Rizwan Akhtar elaborated further on the points and questions that were raised during the discussion.
After Lunch break, the second session was conducted on “Commodity Fetishism”. Session was chaired by Ismat Perveen from Faisalabad and Awais Qarni from North Punjab led the discussion. Awais based his lead off on the first chapter of Das Kapital and explained concepts like the commodity, value, exchange value, use value, abstract and concrete labor, capitalist mode of production and commodity fetishism and its impact on the society. After leaf off comrades asked questions and took 
part in the discussion. Ahmad Ammar from North Punjab, Vinod Kumar from Hyderabad, Imran Kamyana from Lahore and Raheem from DG Khan made interventions and answered some of the questions raised during the discussion. The session and the day came to an end with a summation delivered by Awais Qarni.
On 23rd July, the third session of the school was held on “Marxism and Sectarianism”. Rahul chaired this session and Majid Memon from Karachi led off the discussion. Majid thoroughly went through Lenin’s masterpiece “Left-wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder”. He explained tactics for building a Bolshevik organization and the attitude of communists towards trade unions, bourgeoisie democracy, parliamentary politics and traditional parties of masses. After the lead off comrades asked questions and Amir Kareem from Lahore, Haji Shah from Hyderabad, Rehana Akhtar from North Punjab, Sartaj from Baluchistan, Shahiryar Zauq from DG Khan, Abrar from Kashmir, Umar Rasheed from Faisalabad and Imran Kamyana from Lahore intervened and discussed questions. Then Majid Memon concluded the session in his summing up and the school broke up for a lunch break.
After Lunch break, the fourth session started on “Marxism and Religion”. Shahiryar Zauq chaired this session and Mehdi Hassan from Baluchistan led off the debate on historical developments of society and religion. Mehdi explained how modern imperialist used religious fundamentalism for their end and how its barbaric activities have inflicted misery around the globe. Again on completion of the lead off questions were asked and contributions were made by Ahmad Ammar from North Punjab, Hardil Kumar from Karachi, Aqsa from Faisalabad, Shakeela from Baluchistan, Masood Afzal from Rahimyar Khan, Noman from Faisalabad, Suqrat from Multan, Sartaj from Baluchistan, Yasir from Kashmir, Waqas, Saifi from Faisalabad and Imran Kamyana from Lahore. Comrades explained that imperialism and religious fundamentalism are two sides of the same coin. Mehdi Hassan summed up the whole discussion on Marxism and religion.
After second day’s conclusion women commission was held. Comrades and women work in-charges from different areas and regions participated in the meeting and thoroughly discussed organizational matters regarding revolutionary work among women. Meeting was chaired by Ismat Perveen.
Fifth and last session of the National Marxist School took place on the 24thJuly 2016. Imran Kamyana from Lahore chaired the session and Rashid Sheikh opened the discussion on “Role of Youth in Building of Revolutionary Party”. He outlined the role of youth and students in mass and revolutionary movements across the globe particularly in the Middle East, Latin America, Europe and Asia. Rashid went in on the question of the student politics and its character in Pakistan. After the lead off comrades from different regions discussed the situation of their regional work amongst the youth and took targets regarding The Struggle’s 35th annual congress.
Imran Kamayana summing up the discussions that took place over the last three days explained how difficult it was to conduct a successful National Marxist School in these difficult objective and economic conditions. The political, ideological and cultural level of participants proved that there is only one political force in this region that has the capability to end the misery of working class by overthrowing the capitalism and laying down the basis of world revolution by establishing socialism in Pakistan and the subcontinent. This National Marxist School was formally concluded by singing Internationale and other revolutionary poems and songs. Comrades chanted slogans with the enthusiasm that could and will shake the capitalists in their palaces along with their system of oppression and exploitation.
Long Live Socialist Revolution….
First Day in Photos
Second Day in Photos
