By Revolutionary Students Front
On Sunday, February 20, 2022, the Revolutionary Students Front (RSF) Karachi organized a ‘Revolutionary Students Convention’ at Arts Council Karachi in which students from several educational institutions of Karachi including Murshid Medical College, Federal Urdu University, Karachi University, Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Law College and others participated. Students from Sindh University and Hyderabad also participated in the convention with revolutionary zeal.
The convention was dedicated to the undying revolutionary struggle of great Marxist revolutionary, Comrade Lal Khan, on his second death anniversary. Apart from the huge number of students, trade union leaders, journalists, politicians including General Secretary Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) Qamar Uz Zaman Khan, Sarang Jam, renownd columist Mazhar Abbas, Mehnaz Rehman of Aurat Foundation, District President PPP Central Karachi Masroor Ahsan, Karamat Ali of PILER and Senator Karim Khawaja, who despite his medical conditions came to pay tribute to the great struggle of Dr Lal Khan, participated and shared their history with young students. Steel Mill workers leader Akbar Memon and PPP leader Riaz Lund also participated in the program.
The program was also attended by representatives of other progressive student organizations of Karachi including Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF), Peoples Students Federation (PSF), United Students Alliance (USA), Progressive Students Federation (PrSF), Pakhtun Students Federation (PSF), Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC), and Sindhi Shagird Sath. While Danish Zounr, Sehar Pirzado and Majid Memon performed the duties of stage secretary.
At the beginning of the convention, Amir Karim Lata, Routh, Manzoor and Abid recited revolutionary poetry. Before the commencement of the convention, silence was observed to pay tribute to our Comrades, Tahir Hussain, Shiek Mujeeb, Raja Fatah of The Struggle, Karachi. Welcoming the participants at the convention, Hatim Khan, General Secretary RSF Karachi, delivered the opening speech. Zahid Arif of JKNSF, Rehman Babar of PSF, Miraj Shad of BSAC, and Naveed Abbas Kalhoro of Sindhi Student Movement, Waqas Alam of PrSF, and Rameez Misrani, Faisal Mastoi of RSF spoke to the convention.
After the speeches, the new cabinet of Revolutionary Students Front Karachi was elected and took oath. The newly elected cabinet includes Fayyaz Chandio (President), Gul Muhammad (Vice President), Afzal (Senior Vice President), Hatim Khan (General Secretary), Danish Zounr (Information Secretary), Razzaq Bhagio (Study Circle In charge) and Sagar (Finance Secretary).
After the oath taking ceremony, Awais Qarni, central organizer of the RSF, who presided over the convention, in his address talked about the current political and social situation at the global and national level. He talked about the severe impacts of the neoliberal policies dictated by IMF on the economy, politics and society of Pakistan, Inflation is rising by the second and the youth here is being deprived of the most basic rights of education and employment. The oppressive measures against students for demanding their democratic and constitutional rights are apparent before the whole world. Furthermore, he spoke about the sham democracy in Pakistan where comrade Ali Wazir has been in jail under false charges for over a year now but the democratic courts here are unable to provide him justice. Finally, he spoke on the importance and role of student unions and demanded that student unions be revived at the national level and their election schedules be announced immediately. And all student issues, particularly transportation, hostels and harassment, should be addressed on a priority basis. The convention was formally concluded with the Internationale.
