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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Regaining political ground

Head of PPP Media CellMian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, President PPP Central Punjab, has embarked on a tour of Central Punjab with the determination to organise and reinvigorate the Pakistan People’s Party in the province engrossed to regain its past glory. The prognoses look good when evaluated from the enthusiastic response

By Akram Shaheedi
March 10, 2015
Head of PPP Media Cell
Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, President PPP Central Punjab, has embarked on a tour of Central Punjab with the determination to organise and reinvigorate the Pakistan People’s Party in the province engrossed to regain its past glory. The prognoses look good when evaluated from the enthusiastic response of the office bearers and ideologues (Jialas) during on going tours of the six districts of Punjab. He is pro-actively completing to organise the PPP from district to tehsil, union council and ward level in the cities and towns. His priority to the organisation of the Party at each level is of paramount importance because only an organised political Party can succeed in attaining the competitive edge over its political competitors. Palatably, in Punjab organisation of the PPP at the district and tehsil level is complete and work at union council and ward level is in progress with great speed and precision.
The political standing of the PPP was hurt during the past many years nudging it to the periphery due to three main factors i.e., electoral manipulation in 2013, incumbency factor and also through sustained campaign against it by the progenies of the Establishment. Former President Asif Ali Zardari soon after the elections of 2013 while talking to distinguished media persons in Karachi described these elections as ‘Returning Officers elections’. But, Co-chairman accepted the elections results with the sole consideration of keeping the Bonapartes at bay who were always keen to fill the resultant vacuum. He astutely decided of putting the immediate Party’s politics interests at the back burner for the sake of the continuity of the democratic system in Pakistan. It was a strategic decision to scuttle the design of those who were insidiously pursuing the destructive politics as their only bit. He did not jump in the bandwagon either of those who were crying horse of wide scale rigging in the elections. His joining could have paved the ground for revisiting the tragic history of 1977. But, that does not mean he endorsed the illicit practices in the electoral process. His assertion that his Party is going to publish White Paper on the election malpractices soon clearly suggests that he is going to expose those who served as conduit to steal the mandate of the people. His sagacity and pragmatism are acclaimed both by friends openly and by foes only privately.
The politics of PML-N leadership on the other hand invokes the impression of from sublime to ridiculous— being grossly parochial. Shahbaz Sharif soon before handing over power to the Caretaker in Punjab addressed the bureaucrats asserting he was going on holidays and would be back in the saddle soon. It was a clear message to the audiences to behave in his absence failing which they would be held against followed by punishment. It also meant that those who would prove more loyal than the king would be rewarded handsomely with acknowledgment. The intentions of the PML-N leaders were quite clear of winning the elections by using all the means at their disposal regardless of their nature. They allegedly applied the unfair means to change the results and Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf had launched a campaign against the government describing it as the government of thugs who had stolen the mandate of the people. He challenged the legitimacy of the government at all forums.
The lethargy of the Election Commission of Pakistan for the disposal of the electoral complaints strengthened the impression of denying justice by its playing delaying tactics. The two major political parties of the country, PPP and PTI, had demanded the resignations of the members of the Commission because they had become controversial and did not enjoy the confidence of the political leadership. But of no avail as they are still continuing drawing hefty salaries and perks.
It was pertinent to give the background for the convenience of the readers to understand the whole perspective and then judge the political standing of the PPP and other political parties on the political horizon of the country. PPP is still the biggest party of the country that has its footprints from Karachi to Khyber, from Azad Kashmir to the boarders of Balochistan connecting Iran and Afghanistan. The devotees of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and party ideology are living in every village of Pakistan. No matter if number of them is critical of the leadership for not looking after them during the previous PPP government. It is acceptable in a political party. Mind it, all those who made volte- face from the PPP had been obliterated by the political redundancy. The strength of the party lies in the total commitment to the party and its fundamentals. The slogans of Jai Bhutto, Jaiy Benazir, kal be Bhutto zinda tha aaj be Bhutto zinda hay, tum katnay Bhutto maro gay her ghar say Bhutto niklay ga (Long live Bhutto, Long live Bhuttos who were alive then and will continue to live for all times to come, no matter how many Bhuttos you will murder they will continue to emerge from each household). These slogans mesmerised the PPP ideologues and they forget their grievances and throng under the flag of the party.
This is what we are witnessing during the workers contact campaign now underway by the president of PPP Central Punjab.
Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo is undertaking tours of 26 districts of the Central Punjab addressing the PPP Workers’ Conventions followed by meetings to resolve the organisational issues of the local chapters of the PPP. The amazing response of the workers has given the requisite boost to the party needed for its revival in the province. Their spirited participation in the Convention is pleasing indeed. Their criticism is welcomed too with a view to accommodate their recommendations while awarding party tickets to the potential candidates to contest elections. With all fairness, it could be safely claimed the workers conventions so far held in six districts have met with resounding success. Both leadership and the party rank and file are happy with the pace of the organisational works of the PPP from districts to the union council and ward levels. Once, the organisation of the PPP is complete on scientific lines it would acquire the resultant capability of meeting the challenges of elections upfront. The forthcoming bye-elections in NA-137, Nankana, will be an interesting contest.
President PPP Central Punjab is also planning to launch membership campaign after completing the tour. The prospects of the success of such membership drive will be brightened up after the completion of the organisation of the party. PPP Punjab leadership has been working hard to present to Chairman Bilawal Bhutto a well disciplined and robust PPP, Punjab, when he will come down to visit Punjab next month. Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo is doing wonderful job for the party and has been working very hard to lift the morale of the PPP workers in Punjab who were dejected by the perceived step motherly treatment meted out to them during the previous PPP government.
PPP Central Punjab President is reaching out to the workers and successfully persuading them to go to each household and convince them the PPP is the only party that has the political will and programmes to solve their problems. The ground is ripe and the people would listen to them because the present government has made their lives miserable due to torturous loadshedding of electricity and gas contrary to their claims to control it within months than year.
The recent crisis of petrol has proved this government beyond any doubt as the “master of mismanagement”. The normal life in the province of Punjab, in particular, came to a screeching halt. The people have to spend hours in long queues at the filling stations to get petrol. The back to back crisis created by this government through its sheer inaptitude and inaptness has plunged its popularity graph at the lowest rung and the PPP is the only Party to capitalise on this within the ambit of democratic ethos.
The other factor that may prove as the finale straw to break the back of this government is the anti-farmers policies hurting their economic interests analogous to economic genocide. They are fed up with this government because they have been left at the mercy of the market forces controlled by the middleman. Basmati rice, sugarcane and potatoes growers have been worst hit because the farmers have to sell their produces at the throw away prices in the absence of the support price. The government has also failed to fulfill its promise to compensate the farmers of Basmati at the rate of paying Rs,5000 subsidy per acre. Their patience has run out and the day may not be far off when the farmers resort to extreme actions leading to jamming the national life.
The policies of the government have been hurting majority of the population associated with the agriculture sector. The government is earning their ire as a result. PPP governments had always been farmers’ friendly because they evolved a mechanism to stabilise the prices of sugar, rice, wheat and cotton to protect the economic interests of growers. This realisation of the majority of population of the country has created a soft corner for the PPP and has narrowed down the support base of the PML-N. PPP is best poised to stage come back though its opponents may consider it a distant dream.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com