The Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has sent the following message of greetings to the Communist Party of Pakistan on its 9th Congress which is held from March 18-20.

DEAR Comrades,

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) greets the 9th Congress of the Communist Party of Pakistan and wishes it all success. We take this opportunity to greet all the members of the Communist Party of Pakistan who are carrying aloft the banner of Marxism-Leninism in these most trying circumstances.

The 9th Congress of CPP is being held at a most crucial juncture. According to the IMF's World Economic Outlook, January 2016 Report, the forecasts for global growth have been revised downward by 0.2 percentage points for both 2016 and 2017, reflecting to a substantial degree, 'a weaker pickup in emerging economies'. This once again points out that the world is yet to come out of the global economic crisis, which is now into its eighth year. This in itself vindicates the Marxist analysis that the present crisis is a systemic crisis of capitalism and no amount of reform can help the world economy to ultimately overcome it. The only way out of the crisis is to ensure a systemic change – the establishment of a socialist society. It is for this objective that the communists world over are striving for.

Capitalism, as Marxism-Leninism teaches us, does not collapse on its own and it needs to be overthrown. The ruling classes, in order to preserve their class rule and maintain status quo, try to divert the attention of people away from the crisis and the resultant hardships by encouraging all sorts of divisive and fundamentalist forces. The crisis, as it leads to the growing discontent among the people and thus prepares conditions for the growth of working class struggles, also provides a fertile ground for the growth of right-wing reactionary forces. It is our task as the vanguard of the working class to not only lead the struggles against the attacks on livelihood, but also resist the divisive attempts of reactionary forces. All these form part of our struggle for a systemic change.

Imperialism is expending all the powers at its disposal in order to maintain its global hegemony as can be seen in its policy of intervention in West Asia/North African region and also its decision to make Asia, the pivot for its future strategic pursuits. The military intervention of US led imperialist forces in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan have pushed these countries into a spiral of unending civil war and further strengthened the sectarian forces in the region. It is by now well documented that organisations like the ISIS and Al Qaeda are all Frankensteins created by imperialism. As the people of Asia, it is upon us to resist these strategic designs of imperialist advance in our region.

Comrades,

In our country, we are witnessing increasing authoritarian trends with the right-wing communal government in power. There is a deliberate attack on the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people of our country. An attempt is being made to polarise the society on religious lines. On the other hand, the government is aggressively pursuing neo-liberal economic policies. It is in this background that we are fighting both the neo-liberal attacks on the livelihood of people and also the communal and divisive policies pursued by the right-wing reactionary forces, as decided in our 21st Congress.

Though India and Pakistan are two independent and sovereign neighbouring countries, we share common history, culture and ancestry. The people of our countries desire peace, friendship and improved relations between our both countries, which are important for our growth, development and prosperity. The only way forward to achieve it is through discussions and negotiations between our two countries.

Comrades,

We once again use this opportunity to greet the 9th Congress of the CPP and wish it all success. We sincerely hope that the discussions and deliberations you have in the Congress, will further strengthen the party and expand your influence amongst the people of Pakistan. We are confident that the Congress will come with a strategy to intensify the struggle against the reactionary forces and for a lasting peace.

Central Committee

Communist Party of India (Marxist)