Thousands of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers left for Garhi Khuda Bakhsh from throughout the province of Punjab by air, road and train to pay homage to their great leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The party sources told that the caravan was due to make a stopover at district Rahim Yar Khan before entering to the province of Sindh.
However, the number of PPP workers leaving from Lahore city was highly unimpressive, as the party sources said the total number of PPP workers from Lahore was more or less than hundred.
Interestingly, the majority of the party leadership, especially those from the cabinet of Punjab government, preferred to travel through plane. Only the PPP Punjab organisation office bearers travelled by road to lead the party caravans in different major cities of Punjab.
The party circles said one major reason behind thin presence of party workers from Lahore to the caravans for Garhi Khudha Bakhsh is rising disappointment in party workers. According to them, the traditional enthusiasm in party workers witnessed during the previous years was absent this year.
They said the unprecedented inflationary pressure in the country has put the economics of common man upside down and they are least bothered about what is going on around them. The party workers have avoided from travelling despite the fact that the party was in the government and all travel expenses were supposed to be born by the party.
It may be noted that the Punjab, particularly Lahore, has been a stronghold of late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He always received an impressive support from Lahore and other parts of the Punjab. But a present downward trend in party popularity in Punjab has put the party into trouble in Punjab. The latest success of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) in March 16 long march is proved last nail in the coffin and thin turn out of party workers from Lahore to the caravans leading to Garhi Khudha Bakhsh is a glaring example of it.