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PPP divided on Zardari’s role

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By our correspondents
December 01, 2015
As the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) observes its 48th Foundation Day today (Nov. 30th), the party appears to have divided into the Punjab and Sindh camps on the future role of its co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
The two major proposals under consideration to revive the party and its image include, (1) Abolish the post of co-chairman, and (2) Bilawal be empowered to form his own young team and stay in Punjab, and (3) the party should be run on democratic lines from Pakistan and not from abroad.
As for the role of Mr. Zardari, he has been advised either to become Rahbar or patron-in-chief of the two PPPs — Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians. All this had transpired in the party’s top leaders’ meeting in Dubai in September, but its details were never revealed.
The party formed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and winning general elections four times today finds it difficult to regain its position, but 48 years back Bhutto would not have even thought that his party would have such lowest ranking.
Some senior leaders from the Punjab were very clear that Zardari’s name may not help the party to revive itself and therefore the power should be delegated to Bilawal and he should not be influenced either by Mr. Zardari or Ms. Faryal.
However, major leaders from Sindh backed his role and believe that despite negative perception in the media about him the PPP had swept the local bodies. They blamed the Punjab leadership for its failure to build the image of the party leader.
Some of those who attended Dubai moot were of view that Mr. Zardari did not reject views from Punjab and that was one of the reasons why no action was taken against a senior leader from Gujrat Mr. Ghazanfar Gul for his controversial interview though some leaders had demanded his suspension. Instead, a committee headed by Farhatullah Babar was constituted to address his grievances. Mr. Gul had criticised the policy of Mr. Zardari.
The September meeting was the post mortem of the PPP and it lasted for two to three days under the supervision of Mr. Zardari, Bilawal and Faryal and they agreed in principle to redefine his role and abolish the post of co-chairman.
Now, after the death of Amin Fahim, the PPPP post has also fallen vacant and some leaders have suggested his name but if he becomes the PPPP president, it would further undermine Bilawal’s position.
It was also proposed that Bilawal should lead a young party and should be empowered to select his own team for policy making and hold meetings, consultations not in Dubai but in Pakistan. All those facing corruption and criminal cases should not be part of this newborn PPP.
Successive military dictators like General Ziaul Haq and even General (R) Pervez Musharraf were allergic to the PPP. First, during Zia’s period the PPP’s original election symbol “sword” was removed and during Musharraf period the PPP was not registered and thus the PPPP was got registered with late Makhdoom Amin Fahim as its president.
Gen. Musharraf created another PPP called PPP-Patriot as even without Benazir’s physical presence in Pakistan and disqualification, the PPPP had emerged as the single largest party in 2002.
So, as long as Bhutto, Benazir and Begum Bhutto were alive, the party survived all crises and remained the single largest party at the national level, which has now been confined to Sindh.
Thus, Bilawal has a huge challenge ahead, both within the party and outside, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filled the vacuum but there is space still available provided the PPP comes with a new look.
Bilawal Bhutto has now decided to spend more time in Punjab and would station in Lahore to reassess the situation. He will visit Lahore next month and intends to stay for few weeks before considering shifting to this city from where his grandfather Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto launched the party on Nov 30, 1967 at the residence of Dr. Mubashir Hasan.
But, can Bilawal find someone like the late J.A. Rahim, party’s first secretary general and the ideologue, who later developed differences with Bhutto on policy matters and quit? Where Bilawal would find someone like Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, known as “Baba-e-Socialism,” whose land reforms still provide basics for party’s future course?
The major challenge for Bilawal would be to improve the party’s image, remove perception of corruption and sideline those facing charges and give a new program. Mere criticism of motorways or metro bus may not help but prove counter productive.
But, then his biggest challenge would be to redefine the political relationship between the father and the son like Benazir Bhutto redefined Begum Nusrat Bhutto’s role. Can he do it?
There is a vast difference between Begum Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari and between Benazir Bhutto and Bilawal. Begum Bhutto was emotional, Mr. Zardari is not. She was aggressive in politics, Mr. Zardari lacks that quality to remain in the masses. She was straightforward and not diplomatic, Mr. Zardari is sharp and keeps his cards close to his chest. She never had an image or perception of misusing her power, Mr. Zardari always struggled in image building.
Similarly, Benazir inherited the strong legacy of her father and took the party from him. Bilawal has taken the party, though not completely from his father. BB had led one of the most difficult movements and spent years in prison and exile, Bilawal so far is lucky not to confront such a difficult period. Benazir was lucky that she got a party with dedicated workers, who proudly faced executions, flogging and worst torture, but Bilawal and the present PPP are surrounded by more commercial people, who may not be around in case the party faced hardships.
So, Dubai meeting was important but there were leaders (more loyal than the king), who believe Mr. Zardari had created history during his tenure, led the party well and followed the policy of “wait and see.”
Interestingly, the party had almost decided to change the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, but following the local bodies results in Sindh, Mr. Shah has once again got a breathing space till the next elections.
When the issue of Mr. Zardari’s position come under discussion, he allowed the leaders to give frank and critical views about him. Some of the leaders, who attended that meeting, revealed that there was a division in the party particularly between the PPP Punjab and PPP Sindh. While most of them agreed that the post of co-chairman be abolished, some suggest his name as “Rahbar” while others recommend patron or patron-in-chief with no veto power.
Those who present the most critical analysis of the party’s performance like Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan, Nadeem Afzal Chang, Qamar Zaman Kaira were of view that the party still has a space to work, revive its strength and reach the downtrodden, laborers, students, peasant, minorities, women, but with a new team.
Mr. Zardari has been “warned” that not much time is left as the PPP workers in Punjab in particular are not ready to contest from the party’s platform, not ready to put Mr. Zardari’s picture on banners and posters and if it failed to revive itself, it can face serious problems in even finding candidates in the next general elections.
With the death of Amin Fahim, the PPPP will now need a new president. Bilawal intends to lead the PPP with a more revolutionary programme and without “uncles,” on the footstep of his mother Ms Benazir Bhutto. The role of the other wing, which may include veterans, could be that of an “advisory role.”
The recent move came from senior leaders of the party particularly from Punjab, who want to see Bilawal completely empowered as chairman. Let the party democratize with young leaders and new team of dedicated workers.
At the time of next general elections, the PPP would be 50 years old. One only wonders whether the party would celebrate its “Golden Jubilee” or observe its anniversary as Pakistan’s only national party, whose founder is still regarded even by his opponents as the most dynamic, charismatic and popular leader the country ever had after Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s opponents knew that as long as Bhutto survived they stood no chance and his presence would be their “political death.” On the contrary, Zardari’s political critiques believe his control over PPP would be blessing for them instead of rise of another Bhutto.
The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang.