mercilessly gunned down. And the PPP has ruled Sindh since 2008.
Asif Zardari’s braggadocio – “If I give one call, the whole country from Karachi to Khyber will come to a grinding halt. The lockdown will continue until I call it off” – had little substance. He has an exaggerated opinion of his political following. In that, he is not the only one who suffers from such delusions. Imran Khan boasted of mobilising rallies of a million heads and a hundred thousand more on two-wheelers before staging his dharnas. Nothing of the sort happened. On any good day, the attendance in his show touched few thousands painted faces, lolling about wearing colourful scarves.
What’s more, Asif Zardari’s ascension to the PPP throne was more of an accident than for any of his leadership traits. Although he was a powerful president during the PPP’s last tenure in power, the party’s performance under him was terrible. Other than mega scandals of corruption, the PPP has nothing to show for itself. The results of the 2013 general elections proved beyond any doubt that the PPP is no more a national party. Thanks largely to AZ.
After AZ’s standoff with ‘dictators’, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has been hurriedly launched into active politics. Whether he can rejuvenate the party is anybody’s guess. If young Bilawal seriously wants to bring the PPP to its past level of popularity, he will have to ditch many of his fossilised ‘uncles’ – as did his mom. Benazir Bhutto got rid of parasitic uncles Khars, Jatois and their ilk to take independent decisions. Does Bilawal possess the political acumen of his mom? Can he sideline his dad?
It had been a long-standing public demand to rid Karachi of plunder and mayhem. Now that the Rangers have launched an operation as part of national policy, the people support it wholeheartedly. Karachiites, especially, have heaved a sigh of relief after a long time. The only apprehension, however, is that the cleanup drive might stop halfway because of political expediency.
The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. Email: pinecitygmail.com