Karachi, Apr. 1 (ANI): The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which swept the 2008 elections in its traditional stronghold of Sindh, largely due to the massive wave of sympathy generated by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, may be in for a fight this time.
According to many Sindhi writers and intellectuals, gone are the days when votes in Sindh could be won based on ideological belief and political affiliation. These analysts predict that this time around, it is the influence of local leaders and tribal chiefs that will determine who wins and loses in the upcoming polls, reports The Express Tribune.
Writer Shahab Osto said people will not vote on the basis of political ideology or emotional attachment to the PPP. According to him, General Ziaul Haq started the process of depoliticisation and, in doing so, made the individual more powerful than political parties.
Osto said the State and its institutions are not empowered, political parties have no social agenda, and the PPP has squandered the unconditional support people extended to the Bhutto clan by cheating innocent people and not fulfilling their basic needs. Therefore, the majority of votes will now go into the pocket of influentials, irrespective of their party affiliations.
Veteran journalist Sohail Sangi claims that hardly 15 percent of votes are cast on a political or ideological basis, while the rest are cast on the basis of local influence.
Zulfiqar Halepto, a columnist who closely follows Sindh politics, believes that the PPP has no towering personality left to command popular support. According to him, the party leadership has realized this, which is why they have also started approaching local heads. (ANI)
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