Bilawal’s Punjab outing revealed shortcomings born of PPP neglect
It was a first for the youthful Bhutto scion, his maiden protest rally from Lahore to Faisalabad in which he was the star of the show, with the formidable pere away in the USA. He was flanked by the senior Punjab leaders who were displeased at Zardari’s parliamentary ambitions and desired a proactive role in their province. Considering that this was PPP’s first foray in Punjab since its forgettable showing in the 2013 national elections, the somewhat lacklustre response was expected. But Bilawal compensated with hard hitting speeches lambasting government policies, demanding acceptance of his four points, vowing to continue his movement till the Sharif ouster and his refrain of ‘Go, Nawaz, Go’ and ‘Punjab, Awake’. His rapport with the party workers was impressive.
The party had given up Punjab as a lost cause as a Sharif stronghold, concentrating wholly on Sindh, using it as a force multiplier in political negotiations and for keeping a high profile in the Senate. The contact with activists and sympathisers at the grassroots was broken, potential political friendships and alliances could not materialise and even the irrepressible jiyalas vanished from the public radar. It would require a stream of ever growing mass protests to make the PML-N dismount from its high horse. But this rally at least brought out the long forgotten jiyalas with their distinctive displays of enthusiasm, apart from the rousing welcome in some places.
The question of low coverage by television channels, which show such events live, is understandable, as the staple in the electronic media are the ratings. Threats of violence as practiced by the unmentionable MQM founder are an exception, and of course unlimited money thrown in through advertisements or as plain bribes to channels susceptible to such enticements. The PPP has unfortunately finished a distant third in recent Punjab by-elections.
The PPP will need time, a realistic new manifesto and catchy slogans apt for the present to recover its former Punjab ascendency. The potential leader is there and he should not be hemmed in by an eminent rise.