Waiting for a new leader
As it happens every year, PPP activists and leaders from all over the country congregated at Garhi Khuda Bux to remember their fallen leader the other day. While her death was a national tragedy, it has had the gravest repercussions for the PPP and only time will tell how long the party takes to recover from the loss.
The problems faced by the PPP after 1977 were much graver than it faces today. BB put life into a demoralised party which had passed through the trauma of ZAB’s execution followed by arrests, torture and prolonged incarceration of hundreds of its workers and leaders. Being an outstanding conciliator Benazir took little time to welcome some of the architects of ZAB’s overthrow like Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan into the fold of MRD, the alliance aimed at removing Ziaul Haq and restoring democracy. At a later stage she forged a united front even with Asghar Khan. Flexible and tolerant as she was she could also unceremoniously offload the over-rated ‘uncles’ she considered had now turned into unwanted ballast.
By the time Benazir assumed power for the second time in 1993, earthshaking changes had taken place in the world. Socialism was in a state of decline, free market economy was fast consolidating itself all over the world and he US had emerged as the single superpower. The national economy with an enormous state sector was ailing from inefficiency, wastage and corruption. Nawaz Sharif had already initiated privatisation process. It was not an easy decision for BB to say goodbye to socialism which was a major plank of ZAB’s programme and had become the hallmark of the party. What is more socialism still had an emotional appeal for the party old guard and numerous workers. Taking into account the international changes and domestic economic compulsions she decided to embrace free market economy. She even managed to take along the PPP rank and file with her.
After suffering a debacle in the 2013 elections the PPP has been virtually confined to one province. It does not have any leader of the BB’s caliber. The young Bilawal’s mettle is yet to be tested. Will Bilawal be able to grow out of tweets and speak to the masses in a language they can understand? Or will some of the PPP leaders who failed to grow in the presence of the charismatic BB join hands to bring the PPP out of the tight corner where it has landed?
