Situation tense in Badin ahead of LB polls

ISLAMABAD: Legitimate fears of mayhem, chaos and even violence loom large on Badin’s horizon and serious infighting in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) mars the ruling party in Punjab in the second phase of November 19 local bodies (LB) elections.
Meanwhile, for a change Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who is trying to come out of the personal trauma, has started paying attention to Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after the consistent debacles in Punjab that had been under his focus for over two years.
When he stepped out of his residence for the first time after being extremely stressed for a week because of divorcing Reham Khan, he chose Peshawar as his first stop. After that, he also paid another visit to the KP. Later, he spared two days for election campaign in Sindh.
The law and order situation in Badin is volatile, and the main players, responsible for this, are belligerent former Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Both are working hard to dominate the local polls. For Dr Mirza, it is a do or die situation as he doesn’t want any intrusion by the PPP in his home turf. But the PPP considers it as its bastion of power.
However, despite the renewed confrontation, which is not for the first time, former Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza continues to be associated with the PPP as its member of the National Assembly although she firmly stands with her spouse. She was elected on its ticket in the 2013 general elections.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has shown concern over the Badin situation and has taken different measures to ensure that the electoral process is smooth, an official told The News. “It is a big challenge for us.”
He said the ECP has sought additional deployment of police and other law enforcement forces in Badin to avert any violence.
In different Punjab districts, the PML-N is confronted with factionalism. The fight mainly relates the award of party tickets as everyone wants the party’s sponsorship.
To overcome the grave crisis and sort out differences among the groups, a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz, who faces an uphill task as each group wants supremacy in the lower tiers of the elected institutions.
However, it will be too difficult to calm down every side and there is a strong possibility that many would jump in the race as independents. After their victory, they may be inclined to join the PML-N.
When the tussle between Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Chaudhry Sher Ali had become unmanageable in Faisalabad in the October 31 first phase of the local polls, the PML-N had allowed both factions to fight as independents. But still they swept the elections and no political party could give them a tough fight, making the contest PML-N versus PML-N.
The win of a huge number of independents in the first stage had swayed some to believe that this tally shows the existence of space for political parties to capitalise.
After hitting the PML-N hard for a long time in Punjab, Imran Khan used the same stick to hammer the PPP during his two-day election campaign in Sindh. He reserved his harsh criticism for PPP chief Bilawal for obvious reasons. The young man is spearheading the electioneering for his party with the father, Asif Ali Zardari, having preferred, and rightly so, to stay away from the fray as his politics has already damaged the PPP too much.
The campaigning by Bilawal and Imran Khan has picked up the tempo of canvassing in Sindh, which has previously been confined to the candidates only. In Punjab, however, the electioneering is still lacklustre and is being vigorously carried out by the contestants at the local level.
Polling will be held in the traditional strongholds of the PPP in Sindh where it had consistently won in successive polls. These 15 districts include Matiari, Tando Allah Yar, Tando Mohammad Khan, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Benaziriabad, Naushero Feroz, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar.
Like the first phase of the elections, the PML-N is unlikely to organise any big public meeting in any district to give a boost to its campaign in the second stage. The members of the federal and provincial cabinets are barred under the poll code of conduct to canvass. The 12 Punjab districts where the polling will be held on November 19 are Khanewal, Sahiwal, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Sargodha, Mianwali, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Attock and Jhelum.
The PML-N had swept the first phase in Punjab and so had done the PPP in Sindh, leaving their opponents far behind. The PTI performed very poorly in Punjab where it aspired to fare impressively in view of its two-year anti-government campaign.
If the PML-N and the PPP succeeded in repeating the results of the first phase, their level of confidence would skyrocket. If the PTI did not improve on its position especially in Punjab, it would be pushed further in the political wilderness. It would obviously require rethinking and reviewing its overall strategy.