Zulfiqar Mirza can face political isolation

When I last visited the residence of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza in Defense Housing Society sometime back, I saw his photograph in “Rambo” (famous Hollywood character) style. When I asked him the reason for keeping “Rambo” pick, he said: “I like Rambo because of his courage and tried to mould myself into this character.”
A common friend of Mirza and Asif Ali Zardari believes Zardari always had a dominant role in the group and he knows well about his old friend and his nature. Perhaps, that could be one of the reasons when he had asked his party men not to react after an initial protest in Badin and Hyderabad.
“He knows how to handle him and will take his time. After all we all know each other from the days in Petro. Mirza also knows that Zardari has a quality not to ditch his old friends.”
In 2013, when he visited Mirza to enquire after him and Dr Fahmida Mirza, he spent several hours during which they tried to resolve their differences. They agreed on the “ceasefire”, as issues were not only political, but also personal.
“Perhaps, for the first time their friendship apparently is coming to an end, but it will be Mirza and not Zardari, who could be the loser,” he said, adding that Mirza knows Zardari doesn’t lose.
Will his outburst against Mr. Zardari and his sister, Faryal Talpur, bring an end to almost 40/45 years old association?
I know Mirza and the family from Hyderabad, much before his association with Pakistan People’s or Sindh People’s Student Federation. He, Zardari and Amjad Kazi, brother of Qazi Asad, were teenage friends.
Mirza was active in student politics and once won the student union election as general secretary, with the support of left wing student groups. He later joined Liaquat Medical College, Jamshoro.
On the other hand, Mr. Zardari was among the most popular students in Petro, mainly because of his generosity, not only among students, but also among other staff. He had a huge list of friends but Mirza was among the closest.
Asif’s father Hakim Ali remained associated with the NAP till it was banned by former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the mid-70s. When the National Democratic Party (NDP) replaced the NAP he became its Sindh president.
He got his daughter, Faryal, married to Mir Munawar Ali Talpur, son of his old comrade, Ali Bux Talpur, who not only faced hardships during the days of Bhutto, but also under General Ziaul Haq’s. He was a highly committed left wing leader.
Though both Zardari and Mirza have their own political background, their friendship has lot more in common than politics.
When Asif Ali Zardari got married to Ms Benazir Bhutto in 1987 and the PPP won the general elections in 1988, there was a flood of newspaper stories against Mr. Zardari’s for allegedly giving favors to his “Petorian group.” Mirza was in low key during those days, but some other friends got good positions.
After the dismissal of the first PPP government on August 6, 1990 Mr. Zardari was put in jail. He even took the blame of some of his “friends” wrongdoings. But, their friendship never ended and in 2007 when Benazir Bhutto decided to return, Asif Zardari handed her private security over to Mirza, who formed the group called, “Jan Nisar-e-Benazir”. It was a team of dedicated workers many of whom died during October 18, 2007 twin suicide attack.
After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Mirza criticized Benazir and those PPP leaders, who had withdrawn security from his team. “When security was under my command, my Ja Nisar did not allow suicide bombers to come near Benazir’s truck. I don’t know why that security was withdrawn,” he once said.
However, his most crucial tenure began when Mirza family was duly accommodated after 2008 elections. Dr Fahmida Mirza was made the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Mirza was Sindh Home Minister. Differences emerged when he went too harsh on the MQM and provided arms licenses to a faction of the alleged Lyari gang war known as People’s Amn Committee, led by Uzair Baloch, who was recently arrested in the UAE by Interpol and may be handed over to Pakistan for trial in Karachi. Mirza believes Zardari stopped the operation due to pressure from the MQM and former interior minister Rehman Malik. But, the then PPP MNA from Lyari Nabil Gabol blamed Mirza for de-politicization of Lyari.
As for Mirza’s series of accusation against Mr. Zardari, his sister Faryal and former interior minister Rehman Malik, all these are yet to be proved. But, it’s better if he first himself made his own “confession” or the alleged connivance. After all, he knows too much.
He is already facing political isolation. In 2013 elections, his wife got the ticket and was elected as MNA, while their son Hasan Mirza also got elected as MPA on the PPP ticket.
It will be interesting to watch where this personal rather political rivalry will end, but certainly Mirza is looking towards Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, but he knows his old buddy Asif Zardari is politically more shrewd than him.
The writer is the senior analyst and columnist of GEO, The News and Jang.