Nawaz Sharif who had only paid two casual visits to Sindh, the second most populated province of the country, during the last three years has finally realised that the neglect could cost him dearly during the elections. All the more so because the PPP has succeeded in forging an alliance with most of the parliamentary parties in the province. While the situation creates problems for Mian Nawaz Sharif, it also provides him with an opportunity to bring the Sindhi parties generally dubbed by the media as nationalists into the mainstream. While in Hyderabad, Mian Nawaz Sharif held talks with Rasul Bux Paleejo and Qadir Magsi, leaders respectively of Sindhi Awami Tehrik and Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party. He also addressed the media after the meetings. The parties which claim to represent the downtrodden in the province have criticised Punjab for step-brotherly treatment of smaller provinces and have opposed the Kalabagh Dam and the Greater Thal Canal. The visit has provided the PML(N) leader an opportunity to listen to their narrative of grievances.
Pakistan is in dire need of national unity. This would remain a dream till the grievances of the smaller provinces are satisfactorily resolved. It is widely understood in Sindh that unless Punjab with its numerical superiority is able to realise the importance of some of the crucial issues the people in the provinces face, particularly of the shortage of water, the sense of deprivation would continue to deepen. That the Sindhi media reported the visit in depth underlines the importance attached to it.
Mian Nawaz Sharif who draws political support in the main from Punjab is viewed with a peculiar ambivalence in Sindh. His political opponents paint him in parochial colours while some among the Sindhi nationalists view him as a man who could play a positive role in creating a national consensus that takes into account the grievances of the smaller federal units. The visit might not get Mian Nawaz Sharif many votes but would hopefully help him in developing a better policy on issues faced by the provinces.
