Political convention: PTI to test the waters in Sindh
Fresh from the success of its crowd-pulling rally in Lahore, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has drawn up plans for a series of political rallies to test the waters in Sindh. However, this time around many in the political realm aren’t too optimistic about the turnout.
PTI chief Imran Khan is due to endorse the plan at the party’s central executive committee meeting in Islamabad, sometime after November 15, said party leaders.
“His party will flex its muscles at all costs in Karachi,” said PTI Sindh President Naeemul Haq. “We pin the same hopes on these rallies as we did in Lahore,” he added, saying that the rally will make its way from Mazar-e-Quaid on December 25.
Rallies will be held in Sukkur, Hyderabad, Larkana and Karachi with an objective to share their 10-point agenda titled “Sindh Sukkar” (Prosperous Sindh) with the ruling government and its allies in the province, he explained.
“The proposed agenda would include the party’s objective of uplifting the poor in Sindh,” Haq said, adding that the first rally would be led by Imran Khan and be held from Sukkur to Hyderabad.
“It will be a big political show against the PPP and its allies in Sindh,” he claimed.
The executive committee will also formally hand over responsibilities to its newest high-profile member, former Punjab governor and founding president of the PML-Q, Mian Muhammad Azhar, to manoeuvre voting in the coming elections within the Pakistan Muslim League-N, said a party leader.
“After Punjab, Sindh is our focal point for winning the support of young voters,” PTI Information Secretary Umer Cheema added.
Yet, others in the political realm weren’t too optimistic and sanguine about PTI’s ability to capitalise on its momentum in Sindh. “If PTI invites good musicians to attract the youth then some people might come out to attend its rallies in Sindh,” said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon.
The minister added that the Sindh government will accommodate Imran’s supporters and provide facilities to hold peaceful rallies.
In sharp criticism of the former cricketer, Memon said that Imran should, however, make a final decision about his love-hate relationship with the military and establishment before holding rallies in Sindh.
Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, a political analyst, believed that the political temperature in Sindh was relatively different from Lahore. “Imran might manage to hold a good rally but it may not necessarily manoeuvre the vote bank,” she said.
Siddiqa felt that the PTI chief will hope to achieve a similar turnout in Sindh as he did in Lahore, but since ruling parties in Sindh were not in direct conflict with the military, such as the PML-N in Punjab, the rallies may not be as impactful in Karachi.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS (53)
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LOL! PTI supporters are very amusing...To think they have even an iota of chance in Karachi... Their party is almost non-existent in Karachi
Khair try, do try. Think its about time to burst the little bubble you people have been living in.
@Muhajir: karachi is PAKISTAN ,the whole is the body ,when one part of body is sick whole body feel the pain ,karachi is sick and will welcome change as they are bored of slogans MUHAJIR what the whole country is facing injustice not muhajirs alonePti must say that we are here because you, your forefathers were the builders of PAKISTAN you can only save it from destruction ,when PAKISTAN was made it was not muhajir demand restricted to one city they wanted PAKISTAN for all who live here and who going to come and settle here it is the responsibility of muhajirs that gift given by them to muslims onf india is not suffer at the hands of miscreients and it should complete its mission , the mission that PAKISTAN, become the vanguard of MUSLIMS of subcontinent ,country asked, to live and progress on the shinning ideals of ISLAM peace and prosperity for all.
Stop daydreaming PTIers , Imran doesnot have anything to offer to Karachi . We are very well aware Imran's hatemongering against the Urdu speaking in his heydays.
He was never with us whenever we needed moral support .He dinot even bother to visit Karachi during the recent gory bloodshed .
@ Adeel , nice try ...but dig this , MQM doesnot ahve any corruption charges unlike the majority of the politicians of this land .
But do try PTI , your party will find out how popular you are in Karachi . .
I welcome Imran Khan into Karachi because of his unique background. He is the Cricket Captain who has won for Pakistan it's only World Cup. He has proved himself as a credible philanthropist. He is a hero to all in Pakistan, loved by all sects and backgrounds. I believe he will bring, peace, law and order, and prosperity InshAllah.
Imran Khan has the same repeated general message in all of his interviews, books, and speeches. His repetition is his perfection. He has one and only goal and that is to make Pakistan the very nation our forefather's dreamed of.
@NRazwani: A PTI/MQM alliance does not make sense as the PTI is running on a elimination of corruption while on the other hand MQM is an embodiment of crime and corruption.
@MarkH: Have you ever gone on a cnn website and see how many people are dying to commit a hate crime or their #1 solution: drop a nuke on Muslims. Hate crimes occur all over the world their is a trial going on right now in the US of a white man literally hunting blacks. You may want to think that the West is the standard of morals but the west is as disgusting as you may want to paint Pakistan or Muslims in general. Have you forgotten norway already.
Let me ask you this do you think Hitler had hatred for jews or was it fueled by a christian agenda?
Well my first suggestion for Imran Khan is that if he wants to hold a successfull rally in Khi.....choose SeaView as the venue.....and trust me the turnout will be more than a 100,000..........Mazar e Quaid seeems more relevant but I think our beloved MQM will give all there shots to make it unsuccessful and the Burgers of Karachi (which are the majority supporters of IK) will be a bit reluctant to come to Mazar e Quaid....But I think its thinking time for the people of Khi.......they will have to think beyond MQM....things cant get worst for them then what has been happening since past 2 years (targeted killing, streeet crimes etc.).....so IK deserves a chance.....! .....Another suggestion for PTI is to find 3-4 strong candidates from Khi...may be a businessman or a University Educationalist.....!! Good Luck to PTi in Sindh.....Pakistan Zindabad...Hamesha Paindabad...!!
@Muhajir: Who gave the ownership rights of Karachi to MQM?
MQM only wins because of the its street power.
@Muhajir & Saad. " Oye Tried & tested Jaan Diyo- Saadi Baari Aan Diyo". Two parties are going to be the biggest losers,PMLN and MQM. Imran wins= Pakistan Wins.
A good idea that will require a lot of ground work. In order for it to be successful, PTI will have to take MQM on board, which is very subjective but for PTI to be successful, alliances will have to be made. Secondly the administrator and nazim system also makes the scenario very interesting. If PPP continues to drag MQM on the issue, MQM will be more than delighted to support PTI who would provide it with a major facelift. PTI and MQM alliance is an ideal situation as both promote middle classes and to a certain extent youth. This combo will also be beneficial for rest of Pakistan. Plus, is it all being said and done to project IK as the next premier. An educated guy who sould be able to keep a balance between military, foreign affairs and country interest and with a dent free reputation, as of now.
@Faraz: The comparison is meant to point out how people have a habit of making dumb decisions when the majority are in a similar state of mind to what Pakistan is portraying today and that the possible consequences are far from harmless. Most likely it serves as an intentional exaggeration to make sure it's not misunderstood as few people can manage to call Hitler's views and intentions ambiguous.
Though I've seen plenty of Pakistani people on here dying to commit a hate crime on the Jews. Exaggerations aside, even my own in the previous sentence... in that regard it's more of a reference to towards any minority group being treated like trash. So even if you could debate the Jewish intolerance, Pakistan still has plenty of hate spread out and directed at its minorities. Although, it's not so much the minority aspect as it is the people just not being Muslim that is used for justifying hostile action. Sad to say that aspect even surpasses Hitler's range of hatred. It was fairly direct and narrow in regard to numbers involved and discriminated against for him. It's nearly the entire planet for certain and dangerously prominent Muslims sects in and around Pakistan. It may not be as severe as the Nazis, but the state of mind that caused lines up almost perfectly with much of Pakistan.
I am two hundred percent sure that Imran will have a huge impact in Karachi if he decides to bring his movement here. I am not from upper middle class rather lower middle class I would say.
And i see a huge vacuum in Karachi for a new party that is beyond the ethnic divides that have overshadowed Karachi in the recent past. People here are sick and tired of this ethnicity based politics prevalent in Karachi.
I foresee throngs of urdu speaking people, Pathans, Punjabis and even Sindhis of Karachi supporting Pakistan under the banner of PTI in the near future because they are literally sick and tired of murder and mayhem in the name of ethnicity in our beloved Karachi
Long live Karachi! Long live PTI! Long live Imran Khan!
A landslide victory from Karachi is next to impossible for PTI in Karachi. Due to the mentality of the voter uphere.
Sadly, in Karachi, politics is not played on the card of development or ideologies but on ethnicity.
Also, PTI's main votebank is the youth. And the youth here is raised by the generation that is a victim of ethnic mentality. Be it mohajirs and their bloody 90s, be it Sindhis and their cry for being minority in their own city.
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However, burgers bachas here and pathans (especially hazarwalas) and semi religious lot would definitely vote for PTI if they hold a rally here. However, dont keep your expectations high, as the demonstration could not be as huge as it was in lahore.
There has to be peace and calm in Karachi for people to vote PTI, else they will continue voting on ethnic lines.
As far as the rest of Sind is concerned, PTI has an outside chance but im afraid Naeem ul Haq isnt the right man for the job. He was 'ok' as a TV anchor but I have seen him representing PTI in debates and lets just say..I can do a better job than him.
Karachi belongs to pakistan & Imran is the true son of pakistan.
Karachi belongs to MQM. Period.
@ahmed: Let me just say in very non-diplomatic terms that I have no idea what Siddiqua is smoking when she mentions PTI and Nazis in the same breadth.
I am in Karachi and I will be there for the sake of my beloved country Pakistan!
Karachi, go for Imran Khan - support him! you and all of us had enough of these thugs and thieves in the shape of politicians. Lets get rid of them and Save Pakistan!! Imran is the only HOPE at this time.
& what about Balochistan?? We are eagerly waiting for you here..
i dont like what aisha siddiqa is insinuating. these intellectuals talked the same way about lahore. look what happened to them. what talking up like that made pervez rasheed look like?
Hahahaha...I can already see the heat, but karachiites will prefer to live in fear and vote for ppp and MQM. Hopefully karachiites will change their mind and think about beyond Mahajir, Sindhi, Pashtoon, Baloch issue
Come Imran and see who Karachites supports. Our heart and soul is with the MQM. we are You can't make us fool by your rhetoric. We want development and our rights and that's what MQM did for us. Let us live with progress.
I live in Islamabad but I LOVE Karachi and I would fly there to just see the jalsa!
try the ground and it will tell you its ideology of karachi and their love for their traditional bloved party. MR khan though u are a good person but your policies are confusing and
Everyone is encouraged and welcome to have an opinion. . I intend to be at PTI's jalsa in Karachi - a lot of people who haven't voted before also want to come - and they are also getting their voter registration status verified. . I am heartened to see the support for this justice movement - it is what the people want. It is for our betterment in the long term. . There are many good people in the current set up but they are overruled by the ruthless greedy and power hungry. I hope their time has come to shine for their own country. . I know what I want. I want to be part of a decent society that I am certain will uphold the rule of law long after I have left this earthly abode . . . so that I feel some comfort that my children, and my children after them, will be in good company. . The current lot don't care about these things. They steal passionately, they are willing to kill if necessary, they are misleading youth into a dark future, they kill on a ethnic and sectarian basis, they instill hatred and fear in our hearts - just to line their own pockets and secure their own selfish future. . Others complain that this movement has no substance and has no credibility! What are these people I ask? Do they not see the injustice in our society and how ugly we have become? Well, to them I say, overcome your fear of the unknown, get out of your comfort zones and have faith in your good intentions and abilities. . This is an opportunity to start a change for the better. It is a long journey but, if you ponder a bit, it is the only journey - the rest is about wandering or losing your way. . Count me in!
i think 30000-40000 will come in karachi...
waiting eagerly to participate!! MOST WELCOME
People of karachi & sindh have seen the recent bloodshed & blame game of all the parties. people of sindh & karachi are not animals, they can defferenciate between bad & good. Go ahead Imran the people of Karachi & sindh is with u, Insha allah we will have successful jalsas in karachi & sindh. People of karachi & sindh r fed up with ppp & mqm, they need a real leader.
Similar were the comments of opponents before the Lahore Jalsa, but I think people of Pakistan and above all the Almighty is behind PTI. I pray for the succesful relies. May Allah be with Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad!!!
Come on Kaptaan (Imran Khan), Karachi waiting for you. Karachi wants change.... Please help Karachi people. We're with you!
Mazaar e quaid is not an open space, and not easy to handle large crowds
Come on Karachi, make us proud... Your brothers from Lahore :)
@Tanzeel: We, insafians are idealist. We do not trust on any one's analysis or opinion, but trust on Allah (SWT)..
Some of the comments I have been reading have been amazingly funny. As a person living in Sindh all I will say is PTI wont make much impact in Sindh, specially Hyderabad or Sukkur, The scenario in this province like pointed out, is much different than the political landscape in Punjab.
MQM might not be the happiest to see PTI holding a rally in their backyard.... I think the youth of Karachi will turn up for the event..atleast the educated ones plus the burgers aswel.. the way I see it, the Burgers of karachi (ppl like myself) are with Imran exactly like the Blacks were with Obama.. you win them, you get them to vote you get the win....
Dedicated to PTI : D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9I4fKHVOr8
Welcome to Karachi. This time either choose M. A. Jinnah Road or Mazar e Qaid for your speech. Perhaps there will be more crowd than Minar e Pakistan. Is it not amazing????
Dear Imran Sahib. Think twice before any adventure in Karachi. We have here herds of educated followers of party who own Karachi like their ancestral property.
Karachi is an ideological bastion of the MQM and in some areas of the PPP. the People of Karachi well know that Taliban Khan has no plan to move the country out of crises. He criticizes but the plans he presents are far away from reality. People in Karachi will not turn up. its not Lahore, its Karachi the commercial hub of the country, sanity will surely prevail.
i'll show up if Junoon makes a comeback :)
i pray to god to give him success and also teach our nation the differene between good and bad
Best of Luck Imran & PTI !!!!
ha ha ha.... PPP is feeling the heat!!!
*WELCOME TO KARACHI.* WE WANT TO HEAR U.
I am with you in Karachi....
Punjab and Khyber pakhtoonkhwa has announced it's decision... time for a show down in sindh!!!!!