The suppression by the religious fundamentalists of all the democratic and human rights in Afghanistan over the years has left the organization of the Left and progressive forces in absolute weak position. Many had lost lives for the cause of Socialism in Afghanistan. Rest of them are spending their lives underground even in exile. Their families have been tortured and sentenced to death by the religious fundamentalist.

To help the Afghan left and progressive forces in their struggle to survive and promote their organizations needs an active international support. LPP has been active in promoting the Afghan Left for some years. It has now a plan to produce a monthly paper in Pushto language to help the afghan left in promotion of their ideas and strategy.

LPP has already started collecting cloths, medicine, blankets, shoes and other every day food items to be distributed among Afghan refugees camp through the ALRO and other afghan Left groups.
The LPP plan to send its first truck load of these items till 24th of November.

What you can do?
Sponsor the AWSC formally by paying the initial amount of $ 300 for the organizations and $100 FOR THE INDIVIDUALS.

Please help to build this campaign.
Collect every day items in your country and send the shipment to Education Foundation 40 Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan

Most of the second hand items like the blankets and cloths are available cheaply in Pakistan. If you like, send us the money and we can buy these items for you.

Volunteers
If you have time and money to travel, please come to Pakistan to help build this campaign. We need volunteers from Abroad to help this campaign. Please contact us immediately for this.
Please send your donations to following bank account Education Foundation Donation

Please forward this information to your bank for a quick transmission of money Standard Charted Bank NY 1 Evertrust Plaza, Suite 1101, 11th Floor, Jercy City 07302 USA
Swit Code SCBLUS33 TelexATXT 420117
Federal Reserve Bank Routing No.(ABA) 026002561 CHIPS ABA 0256
For credit to Standard Charted Grindlays Bank, Karachi AC 3582-024272-001 with them for final credit to A/C No. 01 7967128 90 of Education Foundation Donations at Standard Charted Grindlays Bank Gulberg Branch Lahore, Pakistan

Shoaib Bhatti
Organizer, Afghan Workers Solidarity Campaign, (Central Chairman Labour Party Pakistan) labourparty@gmx.net
Website: www.labourpakistan.org
Tel: 92 42 6315162, 6301685, 92 42 6303808

Sponsors so for:
Socialist Initiative/Socialist League - Was Tun (Germany)
Workers Solidarity Pakistan (Germany)
Labour Party Pakistan
Scottish Socialist Party
Women Workers Help Line Lahore Pakistan
Afghan Labour Revolutionary Organization
All Pakistan Para Madical Staff Federation
Pakistan Printing and Graphic Workers Union
All Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Federation
Pakistan Railway Workers Union (democratic group)
Itehad Workers Union Carpet Industries Pakistan
Democratic Socialist Party of Australia
Labour Militant Voice of USA
Internationalism Editing Group Japan
Workers Democracy Network USA
Council of Human Needs USA
Workers International Unity (UIT), all the sections affiliated with this International also have decided to affiliate with AWSC
ASAP Australia
Olof Palme International Center I-Fund (Sweden)
Left Radical of Afghanistan
Anti-War Project of COM-NET Japan
Workers Foundation of Iran
Silla vriesma (Netherlands)

Note: Education Foundation is registered non-government organization set up by the supporters of Labour Party Pakistan in 1993.

First dispatch of cloths on 8th December to Afghanistan

As planned, the first dispatch of cloths enough for 5000 Afghan families will be send on 8th December from Lahore to Peshawar. One family will get one traditional Shalwar Qamees (dress), children cloths and a blanket (blankets for all the families only, if we get enough money from other sponsors). Labour Party Pakistan Lahore chapter in a citywide campaign has collected the cloths from its supporters and members. LPP is one of the sponsors of the AWSC.

The aid dispatch will be handed over to the representatives of Afghan Revolutionary Labour Organization in Peshawar. The ARLO is also one of the main sponsors of the Campaign. The representatives of ARLO and LPP met at Rawalpindi on 2nd of December to chart out the strategy to distribute the aid dispatch.

A public meting is being organized by LPP Lahore Mustafabad unit on 7th of December to thank those who have contributed in bulk during the campaign.
Aid dispatch is only one aspect of Afghan Workers Solidarity campaign. The planning include organizational help to the progressive and left wing groups working within the Afghan community inside and outside Afghanistan. The possibility of producing a Pushto language edition of Weekly Workers Struggle once a month is being discussed also.

If you are one of the sponsors of the campaign, and have not send your donation so for, please send your donations immediately.
Please become one of the sponsors

Hundreds of ordinary people of Lahore have donated generously to the Afghan Workers Solidarity Campaign. AWSC was launched last week by several international working class organizations. LPP is a part of the Campaign and its supporters across Pakistan are collecting cloths, blankets, quilts, are also collecting dry food items and medicines as well. Camps were set up this Sunday at different part of Lahore where hundreds of people have brought every day used items for the Afghan workers. Announcements were made by the mosques appealing people to bring their items in the camps. It is interesting to note that several religious fanatics organizations have also set up camps but it seems that they do not have the success in collecting items as LPP have done.

LPP have now engaged several families to press the cloths and pack them in bags. They will be paid a very nominal cost for pressing over 5000 traditional suits so for collected. The 5000 target is already achieved and many other areas than Lahore have just started collecting the used items.
We plan to send the first truck load of items before the Eid that is 14th of December 2001. We want these items to be distributed before the Eid. So many Afghan families of the workers could also celebrate the holy day of Eid.

What we need now
We need to buy the blankets and quilts that is most needed in winter. We could not collect many, as many workers will have not any spare of these items at homes. We can buy these from the second hand market of Lahore where is available quit cheaply.

We plan to buy at least 4000 blankets, as we would be delivering clothes and blanket to at least 5000 families. The 4000 would cost at least 250,000 Rupees. That is roughly $ 4200. Then we need another $ 800 for the transport cost. So to deliver the items collected and the items we plan to buy need at least $5000 more to be collected.

This is an appeal to all the affiliate organizations and supporters of this campaign to send us immediately an amount possible to the campaign. All the affiliates are expected to send at least $300 each immediately.
The total cost of items collected by LPP could reach to $2000 so for. LPP do not have any cash in hand to send these items. Please raise the issue in your organizations and take emergency measure as we have only 14 days to go.
Please hurry up,
In Solidarity,
Shoaib Bhatti,
Organizer AWSC