'Karl Marx is still relevant in our society'.

KARACHI -- Social science experts, trade unionists and workers gathered to remember Karl Marx during a seminar titled 'Dialogue with youth on Marx and his works', organised by Alternate, a youth organisation, in collaboration with the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) at the Arts Council.

The speakers concluded that the fast changing mode of production has created a new working class that has resulted in a new socio-economic matrix which was not present in Karl Marx's time.

SZABIST Dean of Social Sciences Dr Riaz Shaikh said Marx believed that the mode of relations in a feudal system were somewhat flexible, though they became rigid in the capitalist mode of economy.

'Change in the mode of production changed the way of exploitation of the working classes,' he said.

'Following the creation of a unipolar world, the theory of alienation of Marx is now being understood in a new light. In this new period, trade unions weakened and a new class of urban people named modern conservatives was born. Meanwhile, ultranationalist movement got new strength instead of globalism. Instead of doing politics on basic ideological issues, petty issues such as roads and civic infrastructure got central place in the political arena,' Dr Shaikh added.

Noted scholar Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmed delivered the keynote address. He said that Karl Marx should be read under a methodology of the development of...