Daily Times

KARACHI: The Pir Pagaro-led Functional League, major force behind the anti-Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) alliance of parties in Sindh, faces a tug-of-war among electables for tickets in its stronghold Sanghar district.

The infighting over tickets for NA-215 and NA-216 constituencies of Sanghar has led the party to delay the announcement of its candidates, Daily Times has learnt.

Besides the PML-F, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) comprises the National Peoples Party, Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Sindh National Front, Peoples Party (Workers) and several likeminded political groups like the one led by former Sindh Home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and his wife Dr Fehmida Mirza.

However, political analysts consider PML-F as the only viable force in the alliance that can pose a challenge in its strongholds of Sanghar and Khairpur districts to the PPP, who in May this year completed two consecutive terms in Sindh. With 13 MPAs Sindh, the PML-F trailed the PPP and the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) as the third largest party in the previous provincial assembly. Of the 13, four were from Sanghar, which has three NA and six provincial assembly seats following the latest round of delimitations.

The major bone of contention is said to be Sanghar’s Khipro taluka (NA-216). In 2013, Sadaruddin Shah, brother of Pir Pagaro had won Khipro’s National Assembly seat. Later when he vacated the seat, PPP’s Shazia Marri won it in the by-election. Traditionally, the seat has had been occupied by PML-F.

For the upcoming general elections, PML-F had decided to nominate Qazi Shamsuddin Rajar for the seat, and former taluka nazim Khuda Baksh Dars for a provincial assembly seat under it (PS-42). But, as per party insiders, the decision was revised on Rajar’s will who wanted the ticket for the provincial assembly seat for himself. With Rajar moving to the PS-42 seat, the party high command decided to award the ticket to seasoned politician, Kishanchand Parwani, an outsider in Sanghar, for the NA-216 ticket. However, the matter has yet to be settled owing to differences.

For NA-215 and PS-41 constituencies, the race for the PML-f ticket is between two Hur Jamaat caliphs Ali Ghulam Nizamani (a former MPA) and Qasim Faqir and former MPA Saeed Khan Nizamani and former federal minister Khuda Baksh Rajar.

“Internal differences in the PML-F over tickets distribution are delaying the announcement of candidates. This will affect the outcome on the polling day,” says Ameer Bux Burdi, a local journalist.

But Kashif Nizamani, the PML-F spokesperson, denies that there are differences over allocation of tickets, adding that the delay is because ‘consultation’ process isn’t over yet. “There are no differences within the party. It is expected that PML-F will finalise its candidates by June 26,” says Nizamani, an aspirant for party ticket for NA-215 or PS-41.

Though he has never been considered for a ticket in the past, and is locally considered as the ‘twelfth man’, Nizamani is hopeful that this time, ‘I’ll be the party’s opening batsman’.

For reserved seats, as per party insiders, PML-F has decided to re-nominate Hindu upper-caste Nand Kumar Goklani, who remained party’s parliamentary leader in the outgoing Sindh Assembly. His younger brother, Naresh Kumar Goklani, is also likely to get a ticket on priority.

With Kishanchand Parwani, Nand Kumar Goklani and Naresh Goklani as its expected candidates, PML-F is facing intense criticism from scheduled caste Hindu activists for ignoring the doubly marginalised community.

Tulsi Balani, an independent woman candidate who has filed nomination papers for NA-222 Tharparkar-II, says political parties including PML-F have always neglected schedule caste Hindus in the matter of reserved seats. “We had high hopes from GDA but it disappointed us by not giving ticket to schedule caste activists,” she says. “At first, I was interested to contest from Sanghar’s NA-216 seat but when I came to know Kishanchand [a big landlord] could be given PML-F seat, I gave up the idea. There are sizeable votes of schedule caste Hindus in the constituency but they are not free to cast their votes since they’re mostly landless peasants [often called agriculture slaves],” Tulsi adds.

But Nizamani rejects this assessment. He highlights that the PML-F has selected Bhagchand Bheel, a schedule caste Hindu, for a reserved seat, but on lower down the order. “As for as Kishanchand is concerned, PML-F has selected him because he is strong electable. In the past he has also won on national and provincial assembly seats. He enjoys good relations with Muslim community as well,” he adds.

Unlike the past, the PML-F has also not awarded tickets to non-Sindhi speakers in Sanghar, a district with a sizeable Punjabi vote bank, mostly concentrated in Sanghar and Sinjhoro talukas. “Punjabi community votes have played a decisive factor in the past in Sanghar and Sinjhoro elections. PML-F could suffer in the election for not granting any ticket to a representative from the community,” Burdi maintains.

To counter this view, Nizamani mentions that the PML-F has awarded a reserved seat ticket to the wife of Waqar Jatt, a local leader of the party.

Analyst Sohail Sangi believes that PML-F’s internal rifts will take a toll on the GDA’s performance in elections. “It is also not clear whether GDA is an alliance of political parties or of individuals. If PML-F is facing difficulty in managing its affairs in its strongholds, then it should be obvious that the party will remain weak in leading the alliance in other areas as well,” Sangi says.

Published in Daily Times, June 24^th 2018.