ELECTIONS have reshaped the political scene in Pakistan. The PPP is licking its wounds in Punjab but ready to rule in Sindh for the coming five years. The PML-N has formed government in the centre and Punjab.
The most interesting of all is the PPP’s victory in Sindh. Its success is owing to its classical political strategy based on absolute political structures. The party, which once raised the slogan of anti-status quo people’s power to gain popularity, has submitted to disillusioned progressive idealism to absolute custodians of regressive status quo elements in the form of waderas and pirs of interior of Sindh.
It is an irony of rural Sindh politics that commoners do not matter however educated they are. They cannot break the shackles of cultural nationalism-based regressive politics. The political hold of traditional power manipulators is so strong that even the champions of Sindhi nationalism go empty-handed in elections. The reason behind failures of Sindhi nationalists lies in their left-inspired socialist ideology.
The ideology propagates egalitarianism mixed with nationalistic sentiments. Although it gives nationalists the street power, it fails to give them an electoral victory. Any ideology which calls for extermination of feudalism from Sindh is not likely to succeed. Feudals of Sindh though are nationalists but can never allow any forces to create an equal society for all and, therefore, lean towards the centre for their perpetuity.
The federation, on the other hand, realises the unpopularity of its narrative of religious nationalism in Sindh, embraces the power-holders as its representatives in Sindh. The PPP always relies on these absolute power structures to sustain its power in Sindh. The nationalistic nature of Sindh politics makes almost impossible for any non-nationalist political party to make significant political inroads into rural Sindh.
The total failure of the PTI in rural Sindh and a significant gain in urban Sindh are yet another proof of the tenacity of nationalistic politics of the interior of Sindh. After the recent debacle of the PPP in the rest of Pakistan, one hopes that the people of Sindh may get a better deal from the PPP in the coming five years.
ATIF MAHMOOD Melbourne, Australia
Sanghar city
SANGHAR is known for its active role in the Pakistan Movement. The region has had an influence of Hurs (disciples of Pir Pagara). Here the Pakistan Muslim League-F has been the dominant political party for years. Once again it has succeeded in achieving the mandate.
The city has been the victim of bad governance, poor developmental work and the worst law and order situation. Roads and infrastructure are in extremely bad condition.
The 2010 torrential rains badly hit the city and added to the miseries of the people. An improper sewerage system has further aggravated the situation.
Crime is a serious issue. Snatching, extortion, kidnapping, robberies, etc., have become routine practices. Hardly a day passes by without several bad incidents reported from the city. Law-enforcement agencies have failed to control these activities. Also, going outside one’s home after sunset is absolutely unsafe.
A drug mafia operates in the region. Adults are fast becoming addicted to heroin, hashish and ‘thara’ (local liquor).
The police are accused of accepting heavy bribes to keep illegal activities under cover. The high rate of corruption in the municipal setup is the chief reason behind these failures.
It is an undeniable fact that the PML-F, which has so far manipulated the mandate of the people, could not address these issues.
Let us hope that the PML-F would not lose the opportunity this time around and would come up to people’s expectations.
It is time reforms were introduced in all sectors.
DR RAAHEEL SHEHZAD
Jamshoro