Progressive Students Collective

Progressive Students Collective stands in solidarity with the Qaumi Aman Jirga convened in Wana, Waziristan. This jirga was called at a time of deeply troubling escalation in violence across the region. Just days before it convened, on 18 May, the people of Waziristan suffered a devastating loss of lives in a bomb blast at Wana Bazaar. Such blasts are occurring alongside frequent target killings, kidnappings for extortion, and constant disruptions to ordinary business and daily life.
We applaud the people of Waziristan for standing up for their rights in the face of such relentless violence. Their courage deserves recognition and their demands deserve to be heard. We fully affirm their call to end all violence in the region and to bring a permanent halt to proxy wars that serve no interest of the people of Waziristan and are waged entirely at their expense.
The people of Waziristan specifically, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general, have endured immense suffering for decades in the name of the war on terror. Despite countless military operations and an enormous human cost, peace remains a distant dream. This is a failure that cannot be ignored any longer.
We demand that lasting peace be ensured in Waziristan and that policies be designed and implemented that genuinely prioritize the wellbeing and interests of its people, rather than the calculations of strategic depth or geopolitical agendas that have only brought them grief.

Progressive Students Collective condemns the enforced disappearance of Mehrab Khalid, a resident of Turbat and student of Filmmaking at National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore.
This is at least the third case this month in which a member of the intellectual class from Balochistan has been forcibly abducted. This policy of picking up the brightest and most educated minds reflects the insecurity felt by the authorities, as these individuals have the capacity to speak truth to power and stand for the rights of the people.
The practice of enforced disappearance is not only illegal but also inhumane, as it has and will continue to result in the further alienation of Baloch youth.
We demand his immediate and safe release, an end to the practice of enforced disappearances which has resulted in nothing but pain and alienation and full accountability for those involved in this practice.

پروگریسو اسٹوڈنٹس کلیکٹو (PSC) وزیرستان میں بڑھتی ہوئی عسکریت اور فوجی کارروائیوں کے نتیجے میں پشتون عوام کی زندگیوں کو محض ایک “ضمنی نقصان” سمجھنے کے رویّے کی شدید مذمت کرتا ہے۔ ہم وانا، اعظم ورسک، غواکخوا، شیوہ اور برمل میں حالیہ واقعات سے متاثر ہونے والے تمام افراد کے غم میں برابر کے شریک ہیں اور ان کے ساتھ یکجہتی کا اظہار کرتے ہیں۔

پروگریسیو سٹوڈنٹس کولیکٹیو نے کتاب گھر لاہور میں
یومِ نکبہ کی مناسبت سے ایک سیشن کا انعقاد کیا جس سے فلٹن 24 کی آرگنائزز حبہ مرائسی، فلسطینی مزاحمت کی جہدکار فاطمہ اور پروگریسیو سٹوڈنٹس کولیکٹیو کے مرکزی صدر علی عبداللہ خان نے گفتگو کی۔

حبہ مرائسی کو برطانیہ میں Elbit System کے خلاف جوکہ اسرائیل کو اسلحہ فراہم کرتا ہے، ڈائریکٹ ایکشن کی وجہ سے گرفتار کیا گیا۔ حبہ نے برطانوی جیل میں 73 دن کی ایک زبردست بھوک ہڑتال کی۔ حبہ نے اسرائیلی صیہونیت کے خلاف ڈائریکٹ ایکشن کی ضرورت اور افادیت پر گفتگو رکھی۔

جہدکار فاطمہ نے کم و بیش پانچ ماہ فلسطین کے مغربی حصے میں فلسطینی جہدکاروں کے ساتھ مل کر اسرائیلی صیہونیت کے پھیلاؤ خلاف جدوجھد کی۔ انہوں نے فلسطین کے ساتھ عالمی یکجھتی اور جدوجھد پر تفصیلی بات کی۔

نکبہ ڈے پوری دنیا میں محکوم اقوام کی جدوجھد اور مزاحمت کو انسانیت کی آزادی اور خودمختاری سے جوڑتا ہے۔ فلسطین کی آزادی تمام دنیا کے محکوموں کی آزادی کے ساتھ جڑی ہے۔ جب تک دنیا میں ظلم، جبر و استبداد رہے گا، فلسطین کا نام زندہ رہے گا۔

Join us for a session on Nakba Day at Kitab Ghar to reflect on the ongoing history of dispossession and resistance.

The Nakba refers to the mass displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948 during the creation of Israel — an event that continues to shape Palestinian lives and struggles today.

We will be joined by speakers from Palestine, along with individuals who have long worked in solidarity with Palestine.

This discussion will explore the meaning of the Nakba, its relevance in the present, and the lessons, stages, and possibilities of global Palestine solidarity movements.

Kitab Ghar, Lahore
Friday, 5 PM

Progressive Students Collective stands in solidarity with the students and candidates protesting against the SPSC (Sindh Public Service Commission) on Wednesday, 13th May.

For years, merit, transparency, and fairness have been undermined by irregularities and favoritism. The concerns surrounding the CCE-24 results reflect a deeper institutional crisis that can no longer be ignored.

We demand absolute transparency in the examination and result process, independent accountability for all allegations of misconduct, and the restoration of merit to ensure equal opportunity for deserving candidates.

پروگریسیو اسٹوڈنٹس کلیکٹو (PSC) کا کراچی میں عورت مارچ کی منتظمین کی گرفتاری اور بدسلوکی کے حوالے سے بیان۔

Progressive Students Collective celebrates and commemorates the struggle of the workers of Chicago today on May 1st, also known as International Labor Day. It was on this day that workers, through collective struggle, were able to win an 8-hour working day a huge victory won against the previous gruelling working shifts. It is this day which reminds us that the world belongs to those who work and actually produce, and not to blood-sucking capitalists. But to attain that world, we need to put up a collective front, same as the one put up by the workers of Chicago more than 100 years ago today.

It is even more important today to discuss, dissect, and mount a struggle against the owners of today especially in Pakistan, where not only are the fundamental rights of workers not being enforced, but after the advent of neoliberalism we are seeing even more worsening conditions for workers. This includes the privatization of schools and hospitals leaving many workers unemployed, the reduction and in some cases complete abolition of social services and pensions, toxic work environments, the hiring of workers on a contract basis which provides no protection at all, and the existence of the gig economy and call centers which have launched new ways of exploitation. Furthermore, bonded labour a form of modern day slavery continues to trap an estimated 2.3 million workers across Pakistan's brick kilns, agriculture, and mining sectors, bound by cycles of debt that are passed down from generation to generation. And now, the Punjab and Sindh Labour Codes of 2024, presented under the banner of "ease of doing business," seek to repeal over 25 existing labour laws, legitimise contract employment, and weaken the right to strike and collective bargaining an unprecedented attack on decades of hard won workers' rights.

We, the Progressive Students Collective, reaffirm our commitment to the struggle for workers' emancipation in Pakistan and elsewhere, and will take the memory of the Chicago workers as our inspiration.

The world belongs to those who work!