- All eyes riveted on Bilawal now
Benazir Bhutto’s charisma drew tens of thousands of enthused supporters to Lahore airport on April 10, 1986, when she returned after an eight year long exile. She collected the pieces, reconstructed the PPP, put life into it and entered the electoral fray within two years. She won the center and would have won Punjab also if the establishment had not put its full weight behind the PML-N. Committed to the downtrodden she initiated Benazir Income Support Programme, a welfare lifeline for the most vulnerable in society. While she failed to win Punjab, it was widely expected that with the party’s jiyalas on her beck and call PPP’s revival in the province was only a matter of time
After her tragic assassination on December 27 2007, the party mantle passed over to Zardari. A sympathy wave brought the PPP back to power in 2008. But unlike BB Zardari was never a leader of the masses. His strengths included wheeling and dealing. Zardari managed to bring together disparate elements in an unprincipled alliance to form a PPP-led government. While the PPP old timers managed to get 18th amendment passed and took measures to empower women, the government remained unresponsive to problems faced by the broad masses. Barring Sindh the party suffered an ignominious defeat in all province in 2013 elections. It was almost wiped out in Punjab.
The party leadership then entered into an understanding with the PML-N not to oppose it for four years. Punjab was handed over to Manzoor Wattoo who faithfully pursued the policy. The line of unprincipled alliances with whosoever was willing sounded the death knell of the party in Punjab while it is facing challenge from the PTI in urban Sindh. Charges of corruption against a number of party leaders have further weakened PPP. Circumventing the normal process of investigation, a JIT was formed which has issued a formidable charge sheet to Zardari. Unless proved in court, the charges are no more than allegations though they would influence public perception.
Bilawal Bhutto would hopefully get a free hand now. Whether he possesses the wisdom and the courage to once again make PPP a political force remains to be seen.
