DOKRI: Liaqat Meerani an independent candidate from PS-13 Dokri constituency has been campaigning from June 10, on a donkey cart with a megaphone in hand.
Meerani, an ordinary teacher has resorted to lower level tactics of mobilization visiting local hotels to fields on his cart to introduce himself ahead of elections. The independent candidate has been defying stereotypes that political activism is for feudal lords, landlords, pirs and mirs particularly in Sindh. Mirani hails from a middle class family, son of a fisherman who graduated in computer science from Sindh University, Jamshoro in 1994 and a Masters in Education from Shah Abdul University Khairpur.
Mirani in an interview to Daily Times said that “My campaign against ghost teachers became the reason for this discrimination”. He added that “Most of the media houses in Sindh are owned by feudal and these teachers were recruited by them without proper qualification”, he added.
Consequently, he chose the ways that earned him much respect and popularity. He made social media as a tool to convey his ideas to the masses by video clips on Facebook. Initially, he was one man army but he was joined by youth and progressive people, afterwards. Mirani maintained the view that he despised the culture brought by these fuedals in politics, adding that he discourages the heavy protocol when he reaches out to the people barefooted.
Instead of arranging a jalsa, Mirani reaches out to people by his speeches on occasions like Eid-ul-fitr gatherings. He sees lack of education, water scarcity, and poor health care facilities as the major problems of Sindh province.
The independent candidate asserted that “My first priority is education. From Dokri to Thar I will struggle to bring every child to school and give quality education. If my campaign could shiver these retrogressive forces you can imagine their condition once I become office holder.”
Published in Daily Times, June 28th 2018.