Where is Dr Zulfiqar Mirza? The man who roared to eliminate Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and promoted Peoples Aman Committee (PAC) in Lyari, much to the discomfiture of his party, is missing from the political scene since last several months while his name was tipped as a leader of Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) elections campaign in Sindh.
His actions had destroyed peace of Karachi. He had foamed at PPPP's coalition partner MQM in Sindh resulting in killings, loot and plunder. His highly provocative speeches had let loose a wave of lawlessness. His approach was appallingly filthy negative. He wanted to capture Karachi through People's Aman Committee and had proceeded to London, claiming to be carrying suitcases full of material evidence against Altaf Hussain.
He tricked the flood stricken people of Sindh and lured them to migrate to Karachi and settled them on land occupied illegally around the city. In short he did everything to match the sort of wicked habits or characteristics of Al Capone, the Italian born US gangster. In the rank and file of PPPP it was widely believed that, being a fiery speaker, he was purposely promoted by top party leadership to contain the hold of MQM in Karachi and several major cities in the interior and make the party vibrant. It was thought that he was being groomed that way to attain prominence and ultimately hold the party banner.
Was he that naive to be tricked so easily into this situation? Cannot be said with authority, but one thing is obvious that he has been pushed into oblivion, unsung, unrewarded. Zulfiqar Mirza who was given the title of "Sher-e-Sindh" was not seen any where during the elections. Some sources are telling that Mirza even did not participate in the election campaigns of his wife Dr Fehmida Mirza and his son Hasnain Mirza contesting for national assembly and provincial assembly seats from Badin, respectively while some are claiming that he was in Badin but he operated behind the scene.
Zulifqar, who was claiming in every political or personal gathering that all seven seats of Badin including two of national and five of provincial were swept by the PPPP just because of his struggle. But, he was not seen openly even in the Badin to run election campaign of PPPP candidates, local people told Business Recorder.
Nothing came out of his tirade and according to reports here; ultimately a severely bruised former home minister of Sindh fell in his own trap and had to leave Karachi to live with his daughter and grand children who are settled in Malaysia, according to sources who are very close to Dr Zulifqar.
He is not on sabbatical but is believed to have retired from politics permanently. Good for him. He would now have more time to devote to his sugar mill, provide jobs to the poor, act positively and work for the economic uplift of Sindh interior. Despite the fact that former Sindh home minister was not active on the political scene of province but he could be seen on his personal website where the heading is "Dr Zlufiqar Mirza, a hero of many Pakistanis".
It is mentioned in his website's profile that: Three and a half years of pent-up frustration exploded when Zulfiqar Mirza, a senior PPPP leader, announced his resignation on live national television on August 28, 2011, he lashed out against former federal interior minister Rehman Malik - calling him a 'congenital liar' and 'the single biggest threat to Pakistan's future' - as well as saying that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement was working on an American agenda to break-up the country.
Besides, Dr Mirza can be seen in old newspapers, TV programs, magazines and on his personal website as he could not continue his career due to his over-actions. Before May 11, polls, inside PPPP sources were claiming that Mirza would be made Chief of PPPP Sindh chapter and he would bridge the gape of Benazir Bhutto with his fiery speeches and would gather the vote bank in Sindh but all theories went off when election process started and finished but Dr Zulifqar could not be seen anywhere in the province. Not in the public gatherings of Lyari nor in the Badin where his wife, son and his other old colleagues contested elections.