Led by Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, a huge multitude of loyalists marched through the streets of Karachi from Clifton to Lyari, thence to the Quaid's mazaar, and from there to their final destination Karsaz to pay homage to those who were killed in bombing during Benazir's homecoming procession in 2007. It was a grand show proving the PPP, despite its poor performance at the last general elections and its current poor governance of Sindh, had not lost public appeal and support. Dazzled by the crowds and their enthusiasm the young leader proclaimed PPP will win the 2018 elections.
Political pundits are, as a rule, wet blankets. In their opinion show of strength on the street does not always translate into votes at an election. But since the time of the party's founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the PPP has always garnered votes from populist support. Even now, when the old slogan to which millions of Pakistanis rallied in 1971 - roti kapra aur makan - means nothing the masses, especially in Sindh, have remained loyal supporters. In the Punjab they are subdued but certainly not obsolete. The PPP has seasoned stalwarts in that province who are capable of regaining political space lost in the last election to PML-N. On the double-decker bomb-proof truck accompanying Bilawal were senior party leaders including two former prime ministers Yusuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf.
You are missing the whole point of the rally. It was primarily to establish the hereditary leadership of the PPP. So far Bilawal existed in the shadow of his father, Asif Ali Zardari, and to a great extent of his phuppijan too. At this rally Bilawal stood as his own man. The message was that the leadership has passed from grandfather to mother to son. Whatever is your assessment of Asif Ali Zardari's political worth, the one thing he lacked was the Bhutto blood. The PPP loyalists only recognise a Bhutto descendant as genuine leader of the party. Bilawal should seriously think of marriage so that he can produce an heir if he wants the PPP to have a Bhutto in the saddle after him.
Another purpose of the rally was to politically 'capture' Karachi. With the MQM in a confused muddle the PPP thinks it can exploit the situation to its own advantage. Hence the rally. Its purpose was supposed to be to pay homage to the 177 people who were killed in the bomb explosions during Benazir's homecoming procession nine years ago. In these nine years never before has the PPP organised such a fantastic rally in Karachi to pay homage to the martyrs of October 18, 2007.
It irks PPP that the party has assured support in Sindh except in the urban areas, particularly Karachi, the capital of Sindh and the hub of the country's commercial strength. Attempts to undercut MQM strength in the city through such things as the Benazir Income Support Programme failed to woo Karachiites. One reason why the Local Bodies Government was scrapped was because it beefed MQM. Nothing worked. But now that Altaf Hussain has chopped the branch on which he was sitting the MQM has lost its tensile strength.
The rally showed not only the mass support of the PPP was intact but the PPP politicians were firmly behind Bilawal. The excellent organisation of the rally, the choice of Sunday so that the public was not inconvenienced as it would have been if October 18, a weekday, had been the chosen date. What it indicates is that the PPP is all set to re-establish its political image as a leading national party and not just a provincial entity to which it has been reduced. It has about 18 months to do this before the next general election. Slogan mongering, belittling other political parties, buying votes will not really work. Neither will nationalist rhetoric. If it wants to succeed in Karachi the PPP should take a page out of the MQM's book. They never deserted their supporters after winning. The PPP, on the other hand, forgot the public and bolstered the feudalistic politicians in its fold. Sindh government can do much to improve its commitment to help the masses. So far it has only resorted to promises and inefficient programmes which have not done much to woo voters who are not primarily Sindhi or nationalistic.
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