Press release issued by: Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), Jammu Kashmir NSF (JKNSF), Revolutionary Students Front (RSF)
Date: 7 May 2025
In a joint statement, the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC), Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF), and Revolutionary Students Front (RSF) have emphasized that the working masses of the region must firmly reject the war hysteria being stoked by the ruling classes of both India and Pakistan. War is not a solution to any problem; rather, it empowers the exploitative capitalist system and pushes the poor and downtrodden people of both countries further into the abyss of misery, destruction, and deprivation.
For the past eight decades, both states have repeatedly used narratives of hatred and hostility against each other as a tool to distract their populations from internal political and economic crises. While hypocritical episodes of “dialogue for the sake of dialogue” have also emerged from time to time, both sides have simultaneously engaged in the reprehensible and condemnable practice of turning legitimate and genuine national liberation movements in the region into instruments of proxy warfare.
We believe that whether it is war or terrorism, the burden is always borne by the working class. For imperialist powers and their local lackeys, such bloodshed serves only as a means of profit and dominance.
We appeal to all workers, trade unions, and student organizations to raise their voices against war hysteria and spread the message of peace, solidarity, and class unity between the peoples of both countries.
We demand that the governments of India and Pakistan immediately cease all forms of armed hostilities—direct or indirect—against one another. In the presence of nuclear weapons, a full-scale war could lead to unimaginable devastation, with millions of lives lost and future generations condemned to far worse hunger, disease, and disability. Therefore, state resources must not be squandered on weapons and military build-ups but should instead be directed toward fulfilling the basic needs of the people, including education, healthcare, housing, and employment.
Finally, we reiterate the historic position of Vladimir Lenin: as long as imperialist capitalism exists, wars and destruction will persist. Moreover, every oppressed nation in the region—including Jammu and Kashmir—has the right to determine its own destiny through peaceful and democratic means. It is essential that the people of the region reject all forms of sectarian, ethnic, religious, and national prejudice and unite in a collective struggle for socialist revolution. We believe that a voluntary Socialist Federation of South Asia, as a vital link in the chain of global socialist revolution, holds the key to ensuring the development, prosperity, and emancipation of more than 2 billion people living in this region.
