Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s loss from Lyari — the area considered the party’s stronghold — might serve as a wake-up call for the leadership. While the PPP is complaining of electoral malpractices, the party may like to reflect upon this major upset. Especially when Bilawal Bhutto Zardari led a robust campaign.

Bilawal won from Larkana where he was given a tough competition. He lost both his Lyari and Malakand seats. Although PPP has secured a majority in Sindh, its loss in crucial constituencies is worrying. Despite the party’s umpteen announcements that Bilawal has been ‘launched’ as the chief of PPP, former President Asif Ali Zardari and not Bilawal remains in-charge of party affairs and its policies on major issues. It was only after the election season that Bilawal addressed public gatherings and made media appearances.

After Bilawal’s speeches during the election campaign and PPP’s ambitious election manifesto, many believed that the elections might as well revive the PPP, but the results proved otherwise.

The incoming PPP government has another chance to work for the welfare of people in Lyari and other underprivileged areas of the province. PPP leadership should refocus their energies on the plight of the poor. Admittedly, many pro-poor programmes have yielded results but much more needs to be done.

Now that Bilawal Bhutto will be in assembly, it is time for the former president to step back and let the PPP Chairman work on his own agenda of reviving the party. Whether or not Bilawal’s involvement in parliamentary politics will revive PPP depends on how far Bilawal is allowed to implement his plans of ‘bringing ideology back to politics’. At the same time, it needs to be duly acknowledged by the PPP leadership that its performance will make all the difference in the long term. Going by the election results and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s successful inroads into Sindh, the PPP should rework its future strategy. *

Published in Daily Times, July 28^th 2018.