The decision by President Asif Ali Zardari to appoint Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood as Punjab governor is a shrewd political move to remove some of the misgivings of former Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and to check the popularity of new Pir Pagara in interior Sindh.
Political observers in their comments over the replacement of Punjab governor said that the former prime minister remained loyal to Zardari to the last but felt ignored when he left the chief executive post. To pacify the sentiments of Gilani, the president agreed to the suggestions by the former prime minister to replace the governor with Ahmad Mahmood as that would give more political benefit to Gilanis in Multan. In addition the PPP could hope for two to three more seats in Rahimyar Khan.
However, these observers pointed out that there would be discontentment among the PPP workers and the PML-Q led by Chaudhrys of Gujrat could also express its reservations on the new appointment. The Chaudhrys consider themselves strong in South Punjab where many of their former ministers, MPAs and district Nazims are still in the party fold. The observers are of the opinion that the Chaudhrys would not wait for too long to convey their reservations over restricting their role in central and south Punjab through Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo and Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood.
They said by appointing Ahmad Mahmood as governor, the president has closed the doors of alliance with the Functional League at Sindh level and the political march by the new Pir Pagara during the election campaign could become the basis of an upset in the elections. The nationalist parties in Sindh are backing Pir Pagara and the unprecedented attendance at the public meeting in Hyderabad was a proof of his popularity.
There are also reports that some of the prominent tribes like Sherazis, Malkani, Unar and Mehrs who were forced to ally with the PPP, were again thinking about their political future.
The observers believe that the appointment of Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood could backfire and the PPP could loose the support of die-hard workers within the party as well as key ally in Punjab, the PML-Q.
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