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Sunday, October 6, 2024

My tryst with Moeed Pirzada

Indian jurist, Justice Katju, shares insightful discussions and interviews with renowned Pakistani journalist, Dr. Moeed Pirzada, exploring pressing issues and mutual perspectives between India and Pakistan.

Dr. Moeed Pirzada is an eminent upright Pakistani journalist who has been in USA for quite some time. He is bravely carrying on a struggle against the fascist reign of terror unleashed in Pakistan by the Pakistan Establishment.

Supporting Imran Khan and the Democratic Forces

Dr. Pirzada and I are both supporting Imran Khan who is bravely leading the democratic forces in Pakistan. Some time back he interviewed me about my article on the eminent Pakistani physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy given below:
Watch the interview below
In this interview I said things which Moeed, and others, would never have heard before, and which may have shocked them.

Opposing Rapid Industrialization of India

This article is to elaborate on my central thesis in the interview viz that developed nations will oppose tooth and nail the rapid industrialisation of India ( in which I include Pakistan and Bangladesh for we are really one country only temporarily and artificially divided by a British swindle in 1947 ), because if we become a modern highly industrialised country, like China, with our cheap labour we will undersell the industries of the developed countries, causing them to collapse as they will not be able to face our competition, and millions will be thrown out of employment.

The Need for Rapid Industrialization to Overcome Challenges

Our goal must be to rapidly industrialise and modernise India, for only then can we abolish the curse of massive poverty, unemployment, child malnutrition ( every second child in India is malnourished according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, etc. which have plagued our country for centuries.
Thus our interest directly conflicts with the interest of the developed countries, and so our goal can only be achieved by a mighty historical united people’s social and political revolution, which will be opposed tooth and nail by the developed countries ( as their aim is not to allow India to emerge as a modern industrial giant, like another China, for then with our cheap labour we will undersell their goods and make them uncompetitive ).

Historical Precedents: Ideological Revolution as Precursor to Actual Revolution

Historical experience shows that every actual revolution is preceded by an ideological revolution, in which the weapons used are not swords, guns, or bombs but ideas. Thus, the great French Revolution of 1789 was preceded by decades of ideological struggle in France by great writers and thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot and the French Encyclopedists who waged a relentless struggle against the feudal system and religious bigotry in France. The same happened in England in the 17th century ( in the struggle between King and Parliament ).

India’s Stage of Ideological Revolution

India is presently in the stage of the ideological revolution, that is, the pre-revolutionary period. Clarity of ideas is absolutely essential in this period, but unfortunately these are missing. Our so called ‘intellectuals’ are really superficial thinkers who have little understanding of realities. My aim is therefore to provide this, and I have tried to do it in brief in my interview with Moeed ( as well as in several articles ).

Read More: Dr Moeed Pirzada becomes most retweeted Pakistani journalist

Understanding the Role of Economics in Politics

As I explained in my interview, politics is concentrated economics, and so to understand what is going on in current history we must delve into economics.
Cost of labour is a big chunk of the total cost of production, and so if the cost of labour is less, the cost of production is less, and one can sell his goods at a cheaper price and undersell his business rivals. The same happens at the national and international levels.

Example of China’s Revolution and Economic Impact

China’s revolution in 1949 provides a relevant example. Before that China was a very poor and backward country, with about 90% or more people being poor peasants. But after its revolution the Chinese leaders set up a massive industrial base, and that coupled with the cheap labour available in China enabled the Chinese to undersell the whole world in consumer goods ( and also some other goods ). If one goes to a Western supermarket he will find it packed with Chinese goods, because the Chinese can sell their goods at a significantly lower price than goods made by a Western manufacturer ( because Western labour is expensive ).

Potential Consequences and Opposition to Indian Industrialization

Indian labour is even cheaper than Chinese labour. So if we set up a massive industrial base in India will the developed countries be able to face our competition ? No, they will collapse, throwing millions out of employment. Will they easily permit that ? No, they will oppose it tooth and nail. And how do they oppose it ? By making Indians fight each other in the name of religion, caste, race or language. This was the real reason for partitioning India in 1947 on the basis of the bogus two nation theory ( that Hindus and Muslims are two separate nations ).

Additional Resources

For further insights into these topics, I have provided links to my articles below:

  1. Article: Indian Reunification is an Idea Whose Time Has Come
  2. Article: The Truth About Pakistan
  3. Article: Pakistan is a Fake Country
  4. Article: The Puppeteer and the Puppets
  5. Article: India, the Sleeping Giant, Will Awake
I may be having more interviews with Moeed shortly.
Markandey Katju is an Indian jurist and former Supreme Court judge of India who served as chairman for the Press Council of India. He has also worked as Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department.
The article was originally published on Writers’ Cafeteria.