[Head of PPP Media Cell]
The revival of PPP in Punjab in general and in the Central Punjab in particular is a daunting task by any measure where PML-N had been in power for the last more than two decades. Also, the PTI, another noticeable political Party, after initial whirlwind political gains in the province at the expense of others, had been now grappling to slow down the slippery slope of its popularity from going bad to worse. The tsunami was fast proving as a hectic activity in futility. The prospects of making turn around were becoming increasingly murkier to the utter frustration of its leadership that was not prone to making right decisions at the right time. Right move at the right time makes difference between the success and failure in politics. Pitiably, PTI is the victim of bad timing and also making a bolt face off and on.
Now, the PPP, Central Punjab, is headed by two new, clean, well-meaning, amenable and energetic faces in the persona of Qamar Zaman Kaira (President) and Nadeem Afzal Chan (Secretary General). PPP under their leadership stands fairly good chance of coming up to the expectations of the top leadership. PPP workers are also determined to inject traditional dynamism into the Party to make qualitative difference in popularising the Party among the poor masses. They (Jialas) are more determined to put across the party programme among labourers, farmers, women, minorities, youth and other alienated segments of the society which was once Party’s constituency. They are ready to convince the people that PPP’s political philosophy is the only viable option to resurrect Pakistan as a democratic welfare state in sync with the visions of the father of the nation and of two Great Bhuttos, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.
The jubilation in the Party rank and file over the two appointments clearly manifests the enthusiasm hanging in the air signifying their commitment to work together under the new leadership as the political environment unfolding in the Punjab is favourable to the revival of the Party. The situation as obtaining can be substantiated by stating three reasons. Firstly, the predicaments of the poor people of the Punjab have multiplied during this government as its policies are heavily tilted towards elite at the expense of the marginalised. Secondly, after the failure of the lockdown politics the people in general and youth in particular have been disappointed and bewildered shattering their dream of better days. Thirdly, the Panama Papers has proved as a bone stuck in the gullet of the government. It can neither swallow it nor spit it out thus badly damaging the public perception of the prime minister and his family in the public eyes. The fate of the case is now to be decided by the Supreme Court but it has already made the PML-N top leadership controversial badly hurting its moral authority.
People, especially the youth are also disgruntled with the PTI because of its negative and confrontational politics for confrontation sake. It has no road map to present to the people to solve their chronic problems. People are mature enough who cannot be hoodwinked by the party leadership by simply resorting to rhetoric and platitudes tactics. It’s locking of horns in pursuance of ‘solo flight’ self-righteousness, and demonising all others as having sold their soul to devil was detested by the people at large. Their projection as paragon of virtue could not succeed in winning the hearts and minds of the people on their side of the equation.
People’s rejection of PTI politics of taking the PML-N government by storm has backfired badly. Opposition leader Syed Khurshid Shah’s observation proved correct when he said that Imran Khan was making Nawaz Sharif stronger due to his numerous poor political judgments. He was right because the government today was much more confident after the failure of the lockdown of PTI that went terribly wrong. His obsession for unilateralism had cost him dearly in political sense. He did not bother to take other political parties on board, and instead resorted to unsavoury language against them in his public speeches. He had weakened the opposition platform which was once united to push the Panama Papers scandal against the prime minister collectively.
PML-N government’s utter failure cobbled with Panama Papers have dismayed the people who are now talking that PPP’s era was better as the people were better off. Two examples will prove the point. The rate of electricity was Rs8 per unit during watch of PPP government when price of fuel oil was well beyond one hundred dollars. Today, the government is charging around Rs18 per unit of electricity when price of fuel is well below the fifty dollars in the international market.
The support price of wheat, rice and cotton during the PPP government ensured handsome dividends to the farmers, and Pakistan attained the status of Food Security Country. It may be mentioned here that prior to the PPP government, Pakistan had imported wheat of more than four hundred millions dollars. No wonder people are fed up with the hollow promises of the incumbent government. The climax of its credibility reducing to the needle point will be, as many experts maintain, when it will not succeed in eliminating load shedding of electricity and gas from the country on the basis which it won elections held in 2013. The people of Pakistan will take revenge for the government’s unpardonable culpability of duping them.
The entry of new leaders in the Central Punjab is the right move at the right time. They are well known and like to play on the front foot which is the excellent strategy to knock down the political opponents who consider the country as their hunting ground. Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nadeem Afzal Chan possess a rare quality of communicating with the people with confidence backed by arguments and clarity. They are therefore most sought after political leaders by the TV channels, and do appear several times in a day on various TV programmes of news and views. This distinctive aspect of powerful projection of party view point is absolutely critical if the party has to flourish at the grassroots level. Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nadeem Afzal Chan’s style of putting across their points of view is always frank and convincing, and the fair-minded viewers get a clear picture on the subject matter without an iota of doubt.
PPP has powerful case to get back in the saddle of past political glory in the biggest province of the federation. As mentioned earlier, the country became the wheat exporting country than the wheat importing country after the first year of the PPP government. Now, the farmer community has the fair idea of the friendliness of the PPP government and the acrimony of the present government that have ruined the agriculture sector leading to fall in exports notwithstanding the miserable conditions of the farmers of the country. The new leadership will rub this point right across the province’s nook and corner to solidarity with the community while handing out firm undertaking that given the opportunity PPP will tread on the trajectory of pro-farmer policies because prosperity of the farmers is the prosperity of the Pakistan. About two thirds of population’s livelihood depends on this sector and PPP leadership has been wise and will be so to co-relate its policies accordingly.
There are other landmark achievements of PPP government to launch mass contact movement with confidence. The historic successes like the restoration of the 1973 constitution that was bitterly mutilated by the successive dictators by incorporating amendments unilaterally. Seventh National Finance Award, passed unanimously, was another historic achievement that ensured financial autonomy to the provinces making the federation stronger. The enactment of laws to save the women folk from the domestic violence and work place harassment were major steps for the protection of half of the population of the country. The minorities of the country were accorded preferential treatment by ensuring their representation in the parliament and reserving quota in the government jobs. Their religious functions were officially observed to give them the feeling of belongingness, dignity and respect.
Punjab province is of profound importance for any political party aspiring to be called as a national political organisation to form government at the federal level. For, it is 62% of Pakistan and has sizeable number of seats in the National Assembly enough to form the government at the federal level. PPP being the national party in the real sense cannot afford not to take it with the matching seriousness. The new appointments suggest that the PPP Chairman and Co-Chairman were cognizant of the fact and the restructuring of the PPP in the province was the physical manifestation of the same thinking. Punjab’s dominance in the civil and military bureaucracy makes it even more relevant for the same reason.
With the new faces, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Nadeem Afzal Chan, the Party in Central Punjab is favourably poised to take significant strides on the political horizon of the province. For this the leaders, office bearers and workers have to make relentless efforts with traditional zeal to accomplish the mission of great Bhuttos who sacrificed their lives for the empowerment of the poor masses. Let us hope and pray that the new leadership will succeed which will be deemed as the best tribute to the vision of the founder of the Party. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s entry in the National Assembly in the near future will surely give the much needed boost to the efforts of reviving the PPP to its past glory when it trounced the political stalwarts in the province.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com
