The Larkana defeat

The defeat of the PPP candidate by a GDA candidate for the Sindh Assembly constituency PS-11 (Larkana-2) is a moment for the PPP to do some serious introspection. It is also a bitter pill that the PPP leadership must swallow that if the party that has been ruling the province over one decade fails to fix the basic issues of the people, it must not expect to emerge victorious in by-elections. The PPP, once known for the household name of educated, intelligent and people, has now seen mediocre people as its flag-bearers. The party initially meant for uplifting the working class has now irrevocably dashed their hopes.

Ultra-optimistic people in the province might pin their hopes on the party’s young chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. However, If Bilawal wishes to rise as the torch-bearer of the party, he not only needs to rise above rhetoric and cliché but also distance himself from the so-called saviours of the PPP. The stalwarts of PPP, instead of complaining, should start serious introspection about where they have faltered. If the political position of the PPP is to be currently evaluated, the by-election defeat in Larkana appears just a beginning of their downfall. The party has to accept reality. Or else it must be ready to disappear from the political surface of the nation.

Riaz Mahar

Sukkur