Where Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Dr Zulfiqar Mirza’s explosive press conference on Sunday shook the national politics, it would also have a great impact on politics in Sindh and on the PPP.
Although his party has distanced itself from the contents of his press conference, saying they were his personal views, he has secured much support from inside the PPP ranks. A large number of party workers in various parts of Sindh went so far as to extend open support to Dr Mirza soon after his press conference.
Some of the party’s district- and tehsil-level leaders publicly announced their resignations as well, such as those from Badin, Karachi, Matiari and Tando Jam. Many workers of the party hailing from Jamshoro, Mirpurkhas, Shikarpur, Thal and Gharo organised rallies in support of Dr Mirza.
Some Sindhi language newspapers have published advertisements of PPP leaders offering “salutes to the daring” of Dr Mirza in speaking the truth and sacrificing his status in the party as well as the government for the sake of truth.
Mirza had already emerged in Sindh, the stronghold of the PPP, and also in the party ranks as a bold leader since his controversial statements regarding law and order and against the MQM.
Most party leaders from Sindh were already unhappy with the party’s reconciliatory politics.
The PPP and its government has rapidly lost its popularity in Sindh because of what the people commonly call its “unilateral reconciliatory politics”, corruption, poor performance during its tenure – especially during last year’s floods and the recent rains – and taking a U-turn on the local government system. People have been openly criticising the PPP for these reasons, and it is said that the party will face severe problems in the forthcoming general elections.
Some observes say that Dr Mirza can rescue the party and his best friend, President Asif Ali Zardari, from such a situation. Dr Mirza himself has said that it was good if the people were associating themselves with him, and it would be beneficial for the party in the general elections. According to him, the party leadership has now realised the situation and will not make the MQM part of the coalition again. He warned that the people of Sindh would never accept the party’s decision.
He is also important for the party as he kept intact the party’s support in its political stronghold, Lyari, which the party had almost lost because of its leaders’ poor performance in the constituency. President Zardari has already announced that his son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will contest the next general elections from Lyari.
But some of the observers think differently. According to them, Dr Mirza has created a more difficult situation for the party and its leadership. They say that the party leaders will face several questions from the people, including why the PPP leadership assigned Rehman Malik the important responsibility of being interior minister when he failed to provide protection to the party’s slain leader Benazir Bhutto.
