The last time the PPP could secure a mandate to become part of the government was in 2008 as a weak coalition partner. At that time it was recovering from the tragic killing of Benazir Bhutto. The PPP faced many difficulties while campaigning because of extremist religious groups and because it bore the mantle of a leftist, socialist and progressive force.
The party also bitterly complained that the Establishment had kept interfering. The sympathies of the people of Sindh largely lay with the PPP. However, there are few mechanisms by which the people of the province are able to “monitor and evaluate” the performance of the people they elect.
The PPP is afraid that if it leaves feudals out of the fold, the Establishment will defeat it
In most places, political parties use old tactics of choosing electables, who have influence in the area. Feudalism has strong roots and people are rarely able to stand up for their fundamental rights. Sadly, the PTI that came with the slogan of “Tabdeeli” or change did much the same in Sindh by just choosing electables. The chairman of the PTI justifies it with saying Sindh has feudalism and this is how they can win elections.
The rule of law is a challenge too. A fresh wave of criticism came after a series of murders. Before this, there was a violent attack in Kunb-Khairpur where people attacked a neurosurgeon and his family. The doctor’s brother was badly injured and lost part of his ear in the attack. In a video, the doctor was seen complaining that the police were not lodging the FIR. In a later video, the doctor said it was a feudal mindset that allows people to take the law into their hands. The attackers belonged to a tribe whose relatives or say, same caste members are MPAs, MNAs, and also in local district government. Sadly, this dispute ended with a rajoni/jirga, which is also a symbol of feudalism.
When this incident happened, on January 7, it was just after two days after a double murder in Mithi, Thar. You will be surprised to hear that in the history of the police here no murder FIR has been registered. The murder was something new to the locals; they were horrified and did not know how to respond.
Later, another murder took place in Thar. No report has been seen up to now saying that the culprits are in police custody. Another triple murder took place in Mehar. Three people were shot, including a young boy Qabil with brother and father. It was also said to be the result of a family dispute. Both families are PPP supporters. There were terrifying responses on social media where people belonging to the same tribe commented on how the murdered and the murderers were of the same tribe, so outsiders had no right to intervene or comment as the Sardars would deal with this by themselves.
On social media people of the same tribe commented on how outsiders had no right to intervene or comment as the Sardars would deal with this themselves
In the 21st Century, such thinking just reflects a slavery mindset. A video by people of the same tribe living in Saudi Arabia was recorded and sent on social media saying that if people do not stop criticizing their sardars, they will teach them a lesson.
The PPP is afraid that if it leaves feudals out of the fold, the Establishment will defeat it. There is a tendency by PPP feudals to put their relatives in the district council, the party’s district leadership etc. Educated minds ask how many young, educated, middle-class political leaders the PPP has made in the 10 years. This question was raised by Naeem Bukhari for the PTI chairman when he criticized the decision of giving a ticket to the son of Jahangir Tareen. The same question goes to the PPP in Sindh, if they seriously want to change the system.
What we need is for the PPP to let the people see new young leadership with no roots in feudalism. While people feel proud seeing Bilawal talk like his mother at international forums, they also want his claims to become a reality. Sindh needs more than a charming orator. It needs more than words. Sindh feels proud and congratulates Bilawal for his oration skills but they need practical steps by his party. I hope the ruling party will consider this before the elections without worrying about the results. As the party chairman himself said: “Winning isn’t important but doing the right thing is.”
The writer is an MA student in Human Rights and Democratization at Mahidol University, Thailand and tweets at @samani_abro