Hyderabad: Condolence Reference of Comrade Jam Saqi

By Rahul

Revolutionary tributes were paid to the struggle of Pakistan’s renowned communist leader Comrade Jam Saqi in Hyderabad at a condolence reference held on 23^rd of March 2018 at the Nabi Bux Balouch Auditorium, Hyderabad. The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) and The Struggle Publications organized this event. Despite the hot weather in Hyderabad more than 300 comrades, political activists, students, workers, trade union leaders, women, journalists and family members of comrade Jam Saqi across different cities joined the event.

The hall was jam-packed with the attendees who were chanting revolutionary slogans and paying tribute to the struggle of comrade Jam Saqi. A one-minute silence was observed by the audience to pay respects to the late comrade, before the beginning of the memorial reference and the speeches. Comrade Nathu Mal, a leading comrade from Hyderabad, conducted and chaired the meeting.

A vast layer of left-wing leaders and writers spoke in this reference meeting. International secretary of PTUDC and Editor of Asian Marxist Review Dr. Lal Khan from Lahore, Sarang Jam the son of comrade Jam Saqi, leader of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) from Waziristan Ali Wazir, Ilyas Khan from Lahore, Divisional President of Peoples Labour Bureau South Punjab Rauf Lund, Ghufran Ahad from KPK, Central President PTUDC Nazar Mengal from Baluchistan, Provincial President PTUDC Sindh Anwar Panwar, Lata from Revolutionary Student Front (RSF) Hyderabad, a close friend of Jam Saqi Wahab Badrani from Hyderabad, Columnist Dr. Hameed Soomro, Social Activist Punhal Sario and Dr. Nazeer Shaikh spoke on the occasion and eulogized the struggle of comrade Jam Saqi for the rights of working class and a socialist revolution in Pakistan and beyond.

Sarang Jam, the eldest son of comrade Jam Saqi and the man who remained very close to the heart of comrade Jam till his last breath addressed the reference and shared his memories with the revolutionary legend. “He was an internationalist till his last breath and the history will never forget his struggle for the emancipation of the working class of the globe” he said. “He was the only one with whom I am inspired and it was a privilege for me to have a father like him. Comrade Jam remained committed to the rights of the poor working class and he was the true revolutionary leader”, he further added.

Addressing the reference comrade Ali Wazir from Waziristan said, “Comrade Jam Saqi was an inspiration for our struggle. We are fighting the forces of oppression that inflicted tyranny on the people of FATA and Waziristan for generations. We have challenged the state for our basic rights of human existence and our dignity and honour. Only through a revolutionary struggle shall we be able to achieve our goals. We shall fight to the finish for a socialist revolution.”

Comrade Lal Khan lauded the role of Comrade Jam Saqi and paid a red salute to his struggle. He said, “Besides being a political activist and a revolutionary leader Comrade Jam was also an excellent writer, when I was in my earlier days of student politics I was keen to read his writings published in various newspapers. In one of his writing during his incarcerations comrade Jam wrote a deep and innovative analysis of the role of the state and the army”, he said. The PPP leadership in Sindh also tried to lure him in to politics of reformist capitalism but deep inside him, comrade Jam was never convinced of the narrative of “failure of socialism as a historical system”. Comrade Lal Khan added, “No one can deny the fact that comrade Jam spent his whole life as a communist and was buried as communist”.  “His life will be always inspiring and source of courage and strength in the struggle for a communist future of the human race. Comrade Jam played his role in the class struggle and has left for us enormous experience and lessons to be learnt. It’s a great challenge for us to take forward and spread these revolutionary ideas to masses. Now it is our duty to dedicate our lives to the revolutionary Marxist struggle for the transformation of the society”.

Comrade Lal Khan Speech (URDU)

The audience paid a huge tribute to the life and gave comrade Jam a standing ovation. The reference meeting concluded with the comrades singing the worker’s Internationale. The enthusiastic and charged participants in the event left the hall with a high moral and a revolutionary sprit to carry on the mission of Comrade Jam Saqi.