10-party Sindh alliance yet to have masses,intelligentsia’s trust

Viewpoint

KARACHI: The newly-formed 10-party alliance in Sindh faces a trust deficit with regard to masses and intelligentsia. It almost consists of the same faces which were part of the 12-party grand alliance of 2012, except the popular face of Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza.

The 12-party alliance was headed by Pir Pagara Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi. It was first formed against the ruling PPP’s policies, especially against the dual local government law. It gained massive support of the masses, intellectuals, writers and civil society but this time the masses and intelligentsia have many reservations about the new alliance keeping in view their earlier experience.

Now 10 opposition parties have decided to give a tough time to the Sindh government but the PML-N Sindh chapter and PTI Sindh have sought time to decide whether to join the alliance or not.

Interestingly, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) — the second largest party in Sindh — was not invited, at any stage, to join the alliance. Internal sources told The News that the MQM was not invited due to its demand for the creation of new provinces in the country. However, some parties, including three former chief ministers of Sindh Dr. Arbab Raheem, Liaquat Jatoi and Syed Ghous Ali Shah, were of the view that the MQM should be a part of this alliance but due to strong opposition and resistance of Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza and Ayaz Latif Palejo, the MQM was neither consulted nor invited to join the alliance.

The MQM has become isolated in Sindh and the country due to its political policies, overnight U-turns and for raising disputed issues.

On the other hand, the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STP) — a major nationalist party of the province — has refused to join the alliance.

It is a fact that corruption, lawlessness, nepotism, inflation, unemployment, falling economy, drought in certain regions and countless other issues have made the life of common man miserable in Sindh and there is a need to have a strong opposition to control and keep the Sindh government on the right path but due to many reasons the province is still facing a political vacuum and looking for a political alternative. 

The masses and intelligentsia of Sindh in 2012 supported the 12-party alliance and a big public gathering was held in Hyderabad in December 2012, which was considered, by independent observers, as one of the biggest public gatherings in Sindh’s political history. But after that, things fizzled out as the head of the alliance Pir Pagara practically went into isolation and discontinued his contacts with other leaders of the alliance.