Glorious days of Pakistan Peoples Party over?
Benazir Bhutto
Call it beginner's luck but the PPP has already won a seat in its home province of Sindh
Days of glory for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are long over. The current leadership is a shadow of what it used to be under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and later his daughter Benazir Bhutto. With both gone, and no credible leadership yet visible, the PPP will have to find some way of staying alive until better times.
Call it beginner's luck but the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has already won a seat in its home province of Sindh. The PPP candidate got a virtual walkover when his rival's papers were annulled by the returning officer. But that said, the party is seen to be on a weak wicket with most middle and upper-class voters turning away from it because its chief Asif Ali Zardari is seen as corrupt.
This doesn't mean the party is written off. The buzz in the market is that the PPP is in an unspoken alliance with Imran Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf. Imran Khan cannot acknowledge it publicly for fear of a backlash from voters. But every politician worth his salt is looking for some insurance given the uncertainties of Pakistani politics.
The PPP feels this acutely. For one, it's most vote catching face Benazir Bhutto is now only a fading memory. Her husband Zardari is discredited given his 'Mr. ten per cent' image. Son Bilawal Bhutto is yet to come into his own. Some Pakistani commentators say he could end up like Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi, always around but never where he is needed.
Add to that the Army's own plans for this election. The generals are busy trying to ensure a smooth path for its jihadi allies into the Parliament. They are leaving no stone unturned to ensure as many wins as credibly as possible. So the media is muzzled, local level netas are being bribed and coerced into leaving the PML (N) or the PPP.
In the event the election results in a hung parliament, the PPP is expected to support the party with the largest numbers. This could be Imran Khan. If the PML(N) emerges the biggest player, then they could seek PPP's support. After all, politics is the art of compromise and the art of the possible.
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