Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has always been a beacon of hope, prosperity and comfort for Sindhi women. They have embraced Shaheed Rani’s dream and proven their undying support for her by standing with Bilawal Bhutto every step of the way and helping him claim his rightful position in the Parliament.
Benazir Bhutto’s immense respect and support for the women of Sindh has fostered a love for PPP in their hearts. The development of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) shows the lengths Benazir went to, to help and provide for her people. PPP has moved mountains for these poor women and they realize that the changes made in their lives are only because of this political party. This bond was developed and nurtured by Benazir Bhutto as she used to give these women heartfelt care like a mother, daughter or sister.
Years have passed but this bond between Sindhi women and PPP remains as strong as ever.Even today, these women have no confusion regarding whom to vote for during the elections because of their dedication to PPP, Benazir Bhutto and her children.
Many people in Sindh believe that the party is solely responsible for progress in the province. Development schemes for road networks, schools, hospitals and employment opportunities have been introduced by them. I believe it is the only political party that has done so much for the progress of Sindh and this work is visible in even the most remote villages of Sindh.
Raheema Mallah, a woman from rural Sindh expressed her sentiments on Benazir’s passing and explained why she still believes in PPP; “Benazir used to care for us like a sister but our sister is no more, so it’s our turn now to take care of her children and help them politically. Their success equals to our empowerment and that is something that the women of Sindh need.”
“Benazir used to care for us like a sister but our sister is no more, so it’s our turn now to take care of her children and help them politically. Their success equals to our empowerment and that is something that the women of Sindh need”
The PPP ladies wing is an example of a committed and united women based group. It has been observed in the recently held elections that active women’s groups can make a political party victorious.
These enthusiastic female workers carried out door-to-door campaigns in different towns and cities of Sindh. They even reached out to the remote regions where they effectively mobilized of women voters. A new record was set by PPP in the 2018 elections when they won around 85 percent of the female vote. The liberation that these women enjoy is what sets them apart from other political parties.
The act of bringing up two women from working and socially disowned classes, Tanzeela Qambrani and Krishna Kolhi as MPA and Senator respectively, has not only impressed Sindhi women, but Pakistan on a whole.
Everyone in Sindh is aware of the poor status of Sheedi and Kolhi communities and how their people and especially women have been suffering for years. Women of the Kolhi community work in agriculture lands as labourers while the women of Sheedi community usually work as domestic helpers.
There are countless women workers in PPP who have been carrying the torch for the party and its impossible to name all of them and their phenomenal service for the party in a small column of a newspaper but one thing is quite confirmed that no other political party in the country has such a vibrant and deep rooted force of ladies workers in their ranks.
PPP has been an institute which was built to serve the people of Pakistan. It’s only PPP that knows the value of women as it has powerful women in their ranks throughout the country. In the recently passed election, where male party workers worked day and night, female workers also worked with the same spirit and enthusiasm.
A friend of mine told me that a local female party worker representative of the district of Badin individually conducted more than 1500 corner meetings in the constituency NA-230 for the PPP candidate. This significant work of PPP’s women workforce shows how strongly they implemented their plan during election 2018 and assisted their party candidates.
PPP can further strengthen its women wing before election 2023 as it will once again play the decisive role in the upcoming elections. Bakhtawar and Asifa should lead this wing from the front and make sure that the leadership-community linkage can be made possible to the most remote regions of the country in order to know the issues being faced by rural women there. Educated women should be made part of this wing as much as possible because women are powerful agents of change and they have proven to be so repeatedly.
The writer is a freelance columnist and he can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, August 18th 2018.