Prominent Sindhi nationalists have closed ranks for the first time to challenge the Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) dominance over Sindh’s political scene, jointly contesting the general elections from various provincial constituencies.
Ayaz Latif Palijo from the Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT), Dr Qadar Magsi from the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party (STP), and Syed Zain Shah from the Sindh United Party (SUP) are supporting each other in the upcoming elections, scheduled for February 8.
Palijo is contesting elections from PS-60 Qasimabad, Hyderabad, Dr Magsi from PS-67 Tando Muhammad Khan, and Shah from PS-38 Sakrand, Nawabshah, as well as a National Assembly constituency of NA-208, Nawabshah.
Riaz Chandio, Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Mahaz, has also declared his support for Sindhi nationalists. According to political analysts, this alliance among these forces appeared to be a response to the PPP's “poor governance” in the province.
“There hasn't been a massive response for the nationalists, there is an anti-PPP sentiment that they could exploit, Aftab Memon, a Hyderabad-based journalist and political analyst, said. Qasimabad, known as "mini Sindh" he noted, had most residents from various parts of the province.
In the 2018 elections here, Palijo secured over 13,000 votes against PPP's Jam Khan Shoro. “The old residents will support the PPP but the newly-arriving Sindhis as usual will cast their votes either in favour of the nationalists or the PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf],” Memon added.
Dr Magsi, however, clarified that it was not an alliance but rather an understanding among them, emphasising that the people of Sindh wanted change and sought an end to the PPP rule in the provinces.
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Despite being aware of the PPP's 15-year-long reign, Sindhi nationalists were determined to challenge their dominance. “We will give a surprise to the PPP in these elections,” said Dr Magsi, while speaking to The Express Tribune. “People of Sindh do not want to see PPP in power anymore.”
Dr Magsi, though not part of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) – which was originally formed just before the 2018 elections to bring all anti-PPP forces to one platform – receives substantial moral support from it for obvious reasons.
In 2018, Dr Magsi contested for a national assembly seat in Nawabshah with a view to not giving an uncontested victory to Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the PPP and the president of the party’s electoral platform, the PPP-Parliamentarians.
In their election campaigns, Dr Magsi, Palijo, Shah and their colleagues promise improvement in Sindh, such as infrastructure development, merit-based employment, enhanced healthcare, addressing the issue of ghost schools, and combating drug and tobacco sales.
“We will together do something that has not been done in the last 15 years,” Palijo had said, addressing an election rally of Dr Magsi in his constituency.
Dr Ali Rind, a senior journalist and political analyst, saw this collaboration among the Sindhi nationalists as a positive development, as it challenged the landed class's dominance over provincial politics for the past 40 years.
He emphasised that the PPP's governance had created an environment, where voters hesitated to cast ballots against it.
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Besides, he said, this open collaboration among the Sindhi nationalists against the traditional politicians, was a notable occurrence after 1988 that built on the legacy of Rasool Bux Palijo and Comrade Jam Saqi – prominent figures on Sindh's political landscape, Dr Rind noted.
However, it seemed that the Sindhi nationalists were confined to challenging the PPP in the central parts of the province and avoiding direct contests in northern districts as well as in Karachi, apparently, because of limited resources.
Dr Rind suggested that winning one seat could pave the way for broader participation in various districts. “Sindhi nationalists have limited resources and that’s why they cannot contest elections from all the districts,” he explained.
Mahesh Kumar, another Hyderabad-based journalist, saw this collaboration as the emergence of a potential alternative against the PPP in Sindh. He advised the nationalists to establish regular contacts with voters, understand election politics, and break the psychological dominance of the PPP candidates.
For Kumar, the Sindhi nationalists were making a united effort to offer an alternative to Sindh’s voters, who were dissatisfied with the PPP's governance over the past 15 years. “This represents a shift in the political landscape and a potential challenge to the longstanding dominance of traditional politicians.”
Kumar said that nationalists in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were already in parliament. “It is a good sign that the Sindhi nationalists, who were not contesting general elections, supporting each other to challenge the PPP’s dominance,” he added.
To win the support of the masses, Kumar suggested that the nationalists needed to be connected with their voters on a regular basis. “They need to understand election politics,” he urged. Basically, he said, the PPP’s candidates were psychologically dominating the election scenario.
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