by By Revolutionary Students Front - Published in Asian Marxist Review On March 8, 2025, various cities across Pakistan and its held areas witnessed vibrant discussions and gatherings in commemoration of International Working Women’s Day. Organized by the Revolutionary Students Front (RSF), Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF), and … [Read more...]
From Campuses to Streets: The Struggle to Restore Student Unions
By Revolutionary Students Front – RSF (published in Asian Marxist Review) For over four decades, student unions have been banned in Pakistan, silencing a crucial platform for youth representation, activism, and democratic engagement. The ban, imposed during the military dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq in 1984, has been maintained by successive governments, restricting students from … [Read more...]
A House of Cards: Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Bond Fiasco and the Precarious Balancing Act of Central Bank
By Dhanusha Gihan Pathirana The Central Bank (CBSL) Governor's sanguine assurances about Sri Lanka's debt sustainability ring hollow in the face of Sri Lanka’s impending foreign exchange obligations. While the recently signed International Sovereign Bond (ISB) restructuring agreement is touted as a panacea, the reality paints a far grimmer picture. CBSL Governor's nonchalant dismissal of a … [Read more...]
SRI LANKA: LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS
A WIN discussion November 2024. Follow the meeting HERE. Following its historic triumph in last month’s presidential election, a party which had previously led two bloody failed insurrections has now in a snap general election won an unprecedented parliamentary majority. From just three seats in the previous parliament, the NPP (formerly the JVP) has achieved a sweeping landslide victory, winning … [Read more...]
YOUTH UPRISING IN BANGLADESH
A WIN discussion, November 2024. Listen to the discussion HERE. In July Bangladesh was rocked by a colossal youth uprising in protest at mass unemployment. Hundreds of young people were brutally mown down by the security forces, but an entire heroic generation stood firm. The government was overthrown and the autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina fled the country. What has replaced the deposed … [Read more...]
Lifting import ban on automobiles: Sri Lanka sleepwalks into disaster
by Dhanusha Pathirana Having saddled the nation with a disastrous International Sovereign Bond (ISB) restructuring that ballooned debt repayments by billions - see HERE - the Central Bank Governor (CBSL) now pushes for lifting the import ban on personal vehicles – a blatant kowtow to the IMF's imperial agenda. Two days after the Governor’s remarks National People’s Power (NPP) government … [Read more...]
Sri Lanka’s ISB restructure – A debt trap backed by the IMF and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
by Dhanusha Pathirana - Institute of Political Economy – Sri Lanka The apparent ‘Good News’ delivered by former President Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sri Lanka’s International Sovereign Bonds (ISB) holders in violation of the country’s election laws in September, is now been enshrined as the official position of the new Nation People’s Power (NPP) administration. The new President assumed power … [Read more...]
The student movement in Bangladesh: A torrent strong enough to make rivers shake!
By Omer Abdullah Khan (Asian Marxist Review) Like in other parts of the world, South Asia has also experienced significant social and political upheavals in recent years. This new wave of movements in the region began when Sri Lankan students and workers successfully ousted their corrupt and unpopular president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Since then, these movements have gradually spread across the … [Read more...]
Hindutva Faces a Major Setback in the Jammu Kashmir Elections
By Farooq Sulehria and Haris Qadeer Despite its malicious strategy of communal gerrymandering to win the Legislative Assembly elections in Indian-administered Jammu Kashmir (JK), the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was rejected by a thumping majority. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M)) candidate Yusuf Tarigami retained his seat for a fifth time, defeating a … [Read more...]
The New Janus of Sri Lanka: Revolution at the Gate? by Maya John
The recent presidential election has installed Anura Kumara Dissanayake (“AKD”) from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance as the new president of Sri Lanka. This victory is seen as a result of rising popular hostility towards mainstream parties and rogue dynasts. Consequently, we find that AKD garnered an overwhelming share of the votes from those same … [Read more...]