The word “uncle” has bad connotations in the People’s Party dictionary. When the founder of the party was in deep trouble and his children were desperate after the rise of Gen Ziaul Haq, all the loyalist “uncles” ditched them.
Benazir Bhutto was wary of her “uncles” and had probably taught her children the same – to beware of opportunists who would pose to be their best companions.
In 2007, Ms Bhutto ended her self-imposed exile. A massive crowd received her at Karachi Airport. They were all headed to Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum, when terrorists struck, killing around 150 people. Ms Bhutto postponed the rally without knowing it would take the party seven years to converge at the same place and that she would be represented by her son, Bilawal.
With five years of bad governance, friendship with rival parties and internal indiscipline, the People’s Party surrendered space to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI). It is equally responsible for the rise of a third force in political arena that is striving to throw the two traditional rivals out of the ring.
People’s Party insiders say Bilawal is mad at most senior leaders, particularly those who ruined their prospects of winning back Punjab. He wants structural changes from top to bottom after consolidating his grip over party affairs. Punjab is the province where the axe would likely fall, mercilessly.
[quote]The young Bhutto knows being soft on the PML-N will not be a great start [/quote]
In the last elections in Punjab, the party faced the voters with three senior leaders sharing the saddle: two former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, and veteran politician Manzoor Wattoo. The performance was pathetic. Despite spending record amount of funds Mr Ashraf failed to win his own constituency.
They represent the status quo and cannot fit in with the new dynamic approach of their young leader. Perhaps, therefore, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan advised Bilawal to give a chance to young talent and give a rest to old hacks like him. Senator Ahsan said the party’s Punjab leadership should have apologized for securing the third position in the Multan by-elections.
Ground realities in 2014 are way too different than 1986. It was “Bhutto Bhutto all the way” in the streets of Lahore 28 years ago. Gen Zia was cursing himself for making Muhammad Khan Junejo the prime minister and Ms Bhutto managed to attract over a million people. A majority of them came just to get a glimpse of “Bhutto ki beti.”
“It was a romance, nothing short. You cannot compare that rally with those we are witnessing these days. Today, public resources are used and heavy fundings are made to make rallies successful. In 1986 a flood of people submerged the streets of Lahore. They came out because they loved her,” said AVM (r) Shahzad Chaudhry.
He said Ms Bhutto constituted her own team and won the 1988 general elections. “Bilawal has to follow her mother. He must get rid of the dead meat and organize the party from top to bottom.”
Easier said than done. Whereas the PTI is luring every disgruntled person from the People’s Party and the PML-Nawaz, keeping the party intact is one big challenge the young Bhutto faces at the start of his career.
The “uncles” are showing him dreams which may have nothing to do with reality. If the Gilanis, Rajas and Wattoos cannot win their own constituencies, how on earth can they talk about wining the entire Punjab for the People’s Party?
“Bilawal knows each and every thing. You think the announcement of holding a Workers’ Convention in November is just for nothing? Ground is being built and atmosphere being created where he would take tough and impassioned decisions,” a source close to him said.
The young Bhutto knows being soft on the PML-N will not be a great start when the real battleground is going to be the Punjab province. Initially, the PML-N would tend to ignore him because it has to deal with more pressing challenges: Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri. Secondly, the ruling party still needs the People’s Party’s support inside the Parliament if it wants to survive for another couple of years.
The ordinary People’s Party supporters are euphoric. They see a reflection of Ms Bhutto in her son. The voters who cannot fathom the politics of Mr Zardari are upbeat to see Ms Bhutto’s son challenging everyone including the Taliban. Perhaps they would love to see him coming out of the shadow of his father and aunt.
Secondly, the People’s Party is planning to organize regular shows just like October 18 Karachi rally. With more than two months of sit-in and rallies across the country, the PTI chairman popularized his narrative the best he ever could. He got massive popularity on cable networks. The other political parties were losing that space despite the argument that they were staying silent to protect democracy.
A major shift in the PPP’s policy is to reach out and grab space on electronic and print media. All major networks aired Bilwal’s speech live for nearly two hours. MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Mr Khan are two leaders who have been frequently given such coverage. But despite scuh coverage, political parties have hardly anything to demonstrate to substantiate their claims. Take Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri for example. They are selling dreams. Every politician sells dreams, but empirical evidence in Pakistani context shows they are bound to shatter sooner or later.
Critics argue that Mr Khan should have made Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a model first, to justify his desire of ruling the country. The young Bhutto faces the same argument – that he should develop Sindh into a remarkable province before talking about replicating that model in the rest of the country.
Bilawal, 26, who kicked off his political career from Karachi on October 18, is an avid listener and keen observer. He inherits a rich legacy but a fractured political party. The “uncles” are assuring him that the People’s Party would win Sindh back and once again make Punjab its bastion of power. Will he believe them?
Shahzad Raza is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @shahzadrez
Benazir Bhutto was wary of her “uncles” and had probably taught her children the same – to beware of opportunists who would pose to be their best companions.
In 2007, Ms Bhutto ended her self-imposed exile. A massive crowd received her at Karachi Airport. They were all headed to Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum, when terrorists struck, killing around 150 people. Ms Bhutto postponed the rally without knowing it would take the party seven years to converge at the same place and that she would be represented by her son, Bilawal.
With five years of bad governance, friendship with rival parties and internal indiscipline, the People’s Party surrendered space to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI). It is equally responsible for the rise of a third force in political arena that is striving to throw the two traditional rivals out of the ring.
People’s Party insiders say Bilawal is mad at most senior leaders, particularly those who ruined their prospects of winning back Punjab. He wants structural changes from top to bottom after consolidating his grip over party affairs. Punjab is the province where the axe would likely fall, mercilessly.
[quote]The young Bhutto knows being soft on the PML-N will not be a great start [/quote]
In the last elections in Punjab, the party faced the voters with three senior leaders sharing the saddle: two former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, and veteran politician Manzoor Wattoo. The performance was pathetic. Despite spending record amount of funds Mr Ashraf failed to win his own constituency.
They represent the status quo and cannot fit in with the new dynamic approach of their young leader. Perhaps, therefore, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan advised Bilawal to give a chance to young talent and give a rest to old hacks like him. Senator Ahsan said the party’s Punjab leadership should have apologized for securing the third position in the Multan by-elections.
Ground realities in 2014 are way too different than 1986. It was “Bhutto Bhutto all the way” in the streets of Lahore 28 years ago. Gen Zia was cursing himself for making Muhammad Khan Junejo the prime minister and Ms Bhutto managed to attract over a million people. A majority of them came just to get a glimpse of “Bhutto ki beti.”
“It was a romance, nothing short. You cannot compare that rally with those we are witnessing these days. Today, public resources are used and heavy fundings are made to make rallies successful. In 1986 a flood of people submerged the streets of Lahore. They came out because they loved her,” said AVM (r) Shahzad Chaudhry.
He said Ms Bhutto constituted her own team and won the 1988 general elections. “Bilawal has to follow her mother. He must get rid of the dead meat and organize the party from top to bottom.”
Easier said than done. Whereas the PTI is luring every disgruntled person from the People’s Party and the PML-Nawaz, keeping the party intact is one big challenge the young Bhutto faces at the start of his career.
The “uncles” are showing him dreams which may have nothing to do with reality. If the Gilanis, Rajas and Wattoos cannot win their own constituencies, how on earth can they talk about wining the entire Punjab for the People’s Party?
“Bilawal knows each and every thing. You think the announcement of holding a Workers’ Convention in November is just for nothing? Ground is being built and atmosphere being created where he would take tough and impassioned decisions,” a source close to him said.
The young Bhutto knows being soft on the PML-N will not be a great start when the real battleground is going to be the Punjab province. Initially, the PML-N would tend to ignore him because it has to deal with more pressing challenges: Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri. Secondly, the ruling party still needs the People’s Party’s support inside the Parliament if it wants to survive for another couple of years.
The ordinary People’s Party supporters are euphoric. They see a reflection of Ms Bhutto in her son. The voters who cannot fathom the politics of Mr Zardari are upbeat to see Ms Bhutto’s son challenging everyone including the Taliban. Perhaps they would love to see him coming out of the shadow of his father and aunt.
Secondly, the People’s Party is planning to organize regular shows just like October 18 Karachi rally. With more than two months of sit-in and rallies across the country, the PTI chairman popularized his narrative the best he ever could. He got massive popularity on cable networks. The other political parties were losing that space despite the argument that they were staying silent to protect democracy.
A major shift in the PPP’s policy is to reach out and grab space on electronic and print media. All major networks aired Bilwal’s speech live for nearly two hours. MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Mr Khan are two leaders who have been frequently given such coverage. But despite scuh coverage, political parties have hardly anything to demonstrate to substantiate their claims. Take Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri for example. They are selling dreams. Every politician sells dreams, but empirical evidence in Pakistani context shows they are bound to shatter sooner or later.
Critics argue that Mr Khan should have made Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a model first, to justify his desire of ruling the country. The young Bhutto faces the same argument – that he should develop Sindh into a remarkable province before talking about replicating that model in the rest of the country.
Bilawal, 26, who kicked off his political career from Karachi on October 18, is an avid listener and keen observer. He inherits a rich legacy but a fractured political party. The “uncles” are assuring him that the People’s Party would win Sindh back and once again make Punjab its bastion of power. Will he believe them?
Shahzad Raza is an Islamabad-based journalist
Twitter: @shahzadrez