The Sindh home minister is a force to be reckoned with. Not just because he heads the provinces security infrastructure, Sindh being the only province in the federation at the moment where the portfolio is not held ex-officio by the chief minister. But because the senior PPP leaders swagger and chest thumping makes for good TV and even better headlines in the newspapers. In the past, the ministers refreshingly honest diatribe against the MQM, who are coalition partners in both Sindh and the centre, attracted a lot of attention. Though this might have infuriated the MQM, the PPPs support base in the city, which is much larger than what the official election results would show, lapped it all up. Repercussions aside, he was the man of the hour.
That all changed when, besieged by the changing stance of the PML(N), the ruling party felt the need to hold on closer to all allies. And so, off to Nine-Zero went Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, where he helped himself to some biryani (followed by humble pie) while the chief minister did the talking. Since, this whole back-foot thing isnt how the representative from Badin rolls, he immediately followed this up with a swipe at the PML(N), who was at the time considering to kick PPP ministers out of the Punjab cabinet. His recent comments about the Peoples Amn Committee being an ancillary of his party itself have worked up a storm yet again. With criminal elements being patronised by the home minister himself, what hope can the law and order situation in the province have, ask the MQM. True, but only just. As far as the political patronage of criminal elements in Karachi is concerned, the practice spreads far and wide, the PPP being minnows on the front.
Since he has become the face of the party in Karachi, Dr Mirza should spare a thought or two to the tribulations of coalition politics, which the party certainly needs to master at the federal, if not provincial level. The MQM is what it is. The PPP knew that when it entered into a coalition with it. Discretion is the better part of valour.
