PAKISTAN, April 13—Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted by a no-confidence vote spearheaded by politicians aligned with the Pakistan military. The turmoil in the Pakistan ruling class is driven by competing factions within the ruling class and their ties to the big imperialists in the U.S. and China. As the bosses fight over Pakistan, the working class, suffering under extreme inflation and poverty wages, is fighting back with large demonstrations in many areas of industry . These demonstrations are demanding higher pay and other benefits people need to survive.Progressive Labor Party (PLP) is working to build a revolutionary communist movement for revolution and workers’ power among our friends and fellow workers in these struggles.
The departing ruling political party—responsible for the high rate of inflation, exploitation and fascism—has now started to say that the U.S. bosses have chalked out a plan for regime change with the help of the opposition. The reality is that Khan and his faction had managed to sour relations with both the U.S. and Chinese bosses. Khan upset the U.S. bosses by supporting the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Simultaneously the Khan faction lost the confidence of the Chinese ruling class. First in 2018 by threatening to kill the extensive Belt and Road projects in Pakistan (Yahoo news, 4/13). They backed down on that threat but in the last few months have failed to make payments owed to the Chinese bosses for electric power plants and other Chinese constructed projects in Pakistan (Eurasian Times 3/22).
Big imperialists force changes in Pakistan
Khan and his group have failed to bring down inflation and are sparking anger among the military which is one of the largest business owners in the country with assets of over $100 billion, including large amounts of oil and banking businesses (Asia Times, 3/8/19). The high inflation was also causing concern among the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which was holding up a promised $6 billion loan to the country.
All of this was too much for the military bosses whose business arrangement relies on Chinese investment and exports to the U.S. This led to the ouster of the Khan government and the insertion of Shebaz Sharif, the brother of a three time Prime Minister and one of the wealthiest families in the country. Immediately both the Chinese and the U.S. bosses sent messages of congratulations.
The removal of Khan is a prelude to a bigger struggle in Pakistan as the struggle between the Chinese and U.S. bosses will now sharpen inside Pakistan. The immediate question will be around the war in Ukraine where the U.S. will try to get Pakistan to buck China and impose sanctions on Russia. The Khan faction is also continuing to fight. Khan’s Pakistan Justice Party was able to turn out hundreds of thousands of people on April 10 to protest their ouster from the government.  
Workers fight back
While the bosses battle over control of Pakistan, the economic conditions are getting worse on a daily basis and the working class is dying because of unemployment and hunger. But the working-class fightback  against exploitation, poverty, fascism and unemployment is gaining strength. People from every walk of life are angry with capitalism. Students, workers, women’s groups and other professional organizations are demanding availability of cheap basic commodities, disparity allowances, employment, and shelters to live in but the Pakistani ruling class’ infighting is diverting their attention from poverty and exploitation.
Now the Pakistan bosses are trying to divert the working class from blaming the Pakistani bosses and the capitalist system for the crisis by getting workers to choose sides in their battles. These are old tactics of the ruling class when people start to unite against the prevailing capitalist political system. The bosses try to divide workers in the name of religion, nationalism and personality cults. The upcoming elections are shaping up to be very violent as the bosses fight each other and try to mobilize the working class around nationalism and religious differences.
Building a communist movement
PLP is involved in organizing demonstrations, rallies and strikes of students for restoration of student’s unions, decreasing tuition fees, security in the education institutions and stopping forced disappearances of student activists from campuses. We are trying to build a base in the factories where labor unions are banned and the contract (piece work) system prevails.
We are also working with teachers who are demonstrating against the government policies and are demanding a disparity allowance and a salary increase because some government departments’ workers receive more pay and allowances than teachers.
PLP strives to bring more and more people onto the streets to chant against the capitalist horrors and fascism. From Brooklyn to Pakistan PLP is trying to build a united struggle against the exploitation, fundamentalism, fascism and unemployment which is the ultimate result of capitalism. In Pakistan, our participation in reform struggles are gaining respect among the workers and it seems that our politics is inspiring them to join the hands of comrades in struggle and fight not just for reforms but for workers' power. We are building a base for communist revolution.