Imran Khan's Speech in Hyderabad Sindh was Impressive
05 October 2017By Saeed Qureshi
Imran Khan the mercurial yet inimitable chairman of the political party
"Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf" (PTI) is emerging as front-line confident leader as
borne out by his speech in Hyderabad city of the Sindh province. The public
meeting was certainly huge despite being far from his home turf in Punjab or
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. It demonstrates that the PTI could be
gaining ground in Sindh which primarily has been, a political haven for the
PPP and MQM all these years.
In his speech, Imran Khan stated that one of the PTI's political opponent Mian
Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified and had to leave the slot of the prime
minister because of PTI pursuit of corruption case against him in courts. He
announced that PTI was going to do the same about Zardari; the co-chairperson
of the PPP. By directly addressing Zardari He thundered that, ""After Nawaz we
are coming after you" who in his reckoning was the "biggest problem of Sindh".
It is quite candid that Imran is also going to launch an anti- Zardari
campaign both politically and through the judicial and legal channels.
Imran Khan pledged to lay the foundations of a good and corruption-free
leadership and governance. H talked of taking measures and induct reforms that
could benefit the downtrodden and poor sections of the society. He pledged to
bring a genuine justice system, a universal educational and healthcare system.
He spoke on issues with eloquence and emphasis that is the hallmark of a
politician aiming at capturing power through the peoples' mandate. Besides he
promised equal opportunities for jobs and advancement in life to the poor,
deprived and lower sections of society. He promised to empower the neglected
and impoverished people and abolish the over-lordship of the rich and
privileged classes. All this speaks for a social revolution that is what
happened in societies sunk in similar degrading conditions as Pakistan
presently is.
Bu what one would appreciate and indeed marvel that he launched a frontal
attack on Asif Ali Zardari a political maverick and the co-chairman of the
Pakistan People's Party. Simultaneously aiming at Bilawal Zardari Bhutto the
incumbent chairman of the PPP, Imran Khan denounced him by observing that
Bilawal Zardari Bhutto was occupying a position which neither did he earn
through hard work nor deserves to hold that.
It is quite clear that the political arena in Pakistan is now assailed by
three parties namely the PMLN headed by Kulsum Nawaz but in effect by Nawaz
Sharif, the PPP headed by the Bilawal and shared by his father.
The political clout and standing of the PMNL in Sindh is not as robust as that
of the PPP whose founder and most of the political rank and file hail from
that province. Sindh province, politically belongs either to Muhajir Qaumi
Movement(MQM) mostly confined to Karachi city and Hyderabad or to the PPP. The
PPP has been leading other political parties in elections in Sindh as it
enjoys support and sympathy of the most of the Sindhi speaking population.
Although over a period of time, there have been dents in the citadel of PPP
but still this party somehow remains as the leading political force of that
province.
But the reputation of Asif Ali Zardari is not edifying due to his image of
being a thoroughly corrupt person who allegedly enhanced his wealth
astronomically by devious means and is maintaining huge accounts and
properties abroad. Its amazing that with a besmirched reputation of being
incorrigibly corrupt person he had been the president of Pakistan (Sept
2008-Sept 2013) which is the highest position in any country. That aspect
demonstrated his political acumen. After the murder of his spouse Benazir
Bhutto in Rawalpindi city in December 2007, he had been the Co-chairperson of
the Pakistan People's Party until December 2015. When General Pervez Musharraf
had to relinquish power, it was Nawaz Sharif who assailed into the prime
ministerial office with the cooperation and collaboration of PPP with Mr.
Zardari as its chairperson. As such, both Nawaz Sharif and Zardari, despite
their ill reputation and avarice for wealth accumulation through right or
wrong means deserve the appreciation for taking Pakistan back to the
democratic tracks.
While Mr. Zardari has been recently cleansed and acquitted of all the
corruption charges by the courts, the stigma is not going to be washed off as
far the people of Pakistan are concerned. It is with that dimension in view
that Imran Khan tends to revive the corruption scandals and saga of Mr.
Zardari and simultaneously offering a better and clean leadership under PTI.
Zardari escaping all the previous hurdles by hook or crook may also be
contemplating how to manage and deal with this latest challenge that could
prove to be a Waterloo for his reputation and even take him to the jail once
again if the charges of corruption are proven in the courts.
It is therefore, going to be a three-dimensional political battle that might
not go this time in favor of Zardari. As far the PPP leadership is concerned
some of them don't enjoy good reputation because of gross and uninhibited
corruption including two former PPP prime ministers: one being Pervez Ashraf
and the other Yousaf Raza Gillani.
If by any stretch of imagination, PTI cannot win majority votes in Sindh
because there are well-entrenched heavyweight political contenders one of
which is the MQM. But it would certainly emerge as a strong force in the
political landscape of Sindh. It is true that people of Sindh are divided
politically between PPP and MQM with JI on the sidelines. Yet the possibility
of PTI emerging as the third political force in Sindh, an uncharted political
landscape, cannot be ruled out. I plead this aspect because of a huge crowd in
attendance at the PTI's recent public meeting at Hyderabad city.
Let PTI, for a change, take up the reins of the governance both in provinces
as well as the center. One good outcome of such a development could be the
possibility of the formation of a neat and accountable government. That PTI
dispensation might succeed in curbing or eliminating the curse of corruption
as well as lay the foundation of an accountable and clean political culture in
Pakistan.
It is yet to be seem that in that rather improbable scenario how the notorious
political and non-political thugs neck deep in corruption would be dealt or
react. It's a scenario that only future holds and it may take a pretty tough
and prolonged political battling and campaigning by the PTI leadership to
unfold. Let us wait and watch what appears on the political horizon of
Pakistan.
The writer is a senior journalist, former editor of Diplomatic Times and a
former diplomat. This and other articles by the writer can also be read at his
blog www.uprightopinion.com
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