![tribune tribune](https://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/322092-PTILogo-1326665148.jpg)
The younger Soomro, who is the eldest grandson of the former speaker of the National Assembly, heads the Defence and Clifton wing of the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) of the Imran Khan-led party. He is not the first member from his family to go this way. The elder Soomro’s brother Iftikhar announced he was joining the PTI about two months ago.
The 22-year-old Soomro told The Express Tribune that when he decided to join the ISF last January, he was too scared to tell his grandfather. “I had no courage, therefore it was my family who told him that I was supporting the PTI.”
Soomro says that Ilahi Bukhsh was “shocked” at the decision but he did not raise any objections. In fact, the youngster believes that if members of the Soomro clan had argued in favour of Ilahi Bukhsh Soomro joining the PTI, he might have considered it. “My grandfather has never had a problem with Imran Khan, in fact he considers him a leader,” he said over the phone from Islamabad where he had gone to attend a meeting. The Express Tribune could not immediately contact the elder Soomro to acquire his reaction.
For Maula Bukhsh, the ISF is the “most sincere, organised and disciplined” of student wings from any party. He can afford to make a comparison as he joined student politics by becoming the president of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s student wing in Lahore. “I decided to contest the elections just for fun and became the president,” he said. “But I quit the party in three months. They were in brawls and misused donations to buy alcohol.”
Aijaz Damrah, who is the president of the PPP youth wing in Sindh, said the allegations were unfounded. “There are some black sheep in every party,” he told The Express Tribune. “We do not rule this out. But I refute the allegations that the PPP student wing is involved in this menace.” For now, Maula Bukhsh Soomro, who has studied at Aitchison College, and holds a BCom degree, says that he is eyeing the position of vice president of the ISF’s Karachi division, currently vacant. “Our aim is to promote the ideology of our leader Imran Khan. After the successful 25th December rally in Karachi, we have been bombarded by requests from youngsters to join our wing.” Right now, it has 450 members, aged between 18 and 28 years old, in the Defence chapter alone.
Soomro claims that there are many youngsters in the ISF who have departed from their family’s political line.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2012.
COMMENTS (17)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Nice step! I haven't met Maula Bukhsh, but seen him at his workings. I must say he has taken a bold step, choosing PTI and leaving behind his family political line. He is really Maula Bukhsh!! Brave guy, that he is famous for..
Moala bux nice step .. other youngsters must follow this tep and join imran khan For a better and prosper pakistan.
He is not new.he is old in PTI and is working for a long time for ISF.
Its really great.PTI will emerge victorious Insha Allah
The Imran Khan Foundation(IKF) has contributed enormously in the rehabilitation of the flood affectees in Sindh.Imran is not pretentious like many other politicians.his organization has reached areas where the government machinery has not even been deployed.So please get your facts in order.Ask PPP why it has miserably failed to develop Sindh when it is always willing to play the Sindh card to survive and thrive politically.and read PTI's plans regarding the Tharcoal project to understand more exhaustively what IK plans to do for the people of Sindh.
Good to see people are embracing change and every one has to prove themselves in it. The change is merit based and no one can escape it. One can comfortably live in status quo with parties that are trying to maintain it and there is no competition in them. PTI has set the precedent and set the stage for competition. I hope we will see many new faces from PTI and this will be dawn of a new era in Pak politics.
Given that the forum encourages comments, one 'does' have the right to speak their mind out. But it isn't healthy to criticise someone you haven't been in direct contact with by assuming that they're incompetent beacuse they have a feudal/political background.
Having witnessed the ISF working ethics, and having seen Mr.Maula Baqsh's active and dedicated participation pre-Jalsa and henceforth I believe above mentioned is great news for the youth of PTI.
@Mehreen: I'm not sure whether you choose to be ill informed, or are unaware of the fact that Imran Khan has helped whenever there has been a natural calamity: You might want to review below:
http://imrankhanfoundation.org/
Pakistan cannot change overnight because one man dreams of that change. Imran Khan is a catalyst, but it's people like you an I who need to understand the urgency of the revolution I.K. plans to bring. If we're going to keep squabbling over racist issues, we might aswell book ourselves a plane ticket back to the stone ages.
Just so I remain clear here, I'm not advising everyone to vote for Imran Khan. Voting is crucial, but personal- think hard before you drop that chit of paper in the drop box during elections. But to defend your party to the stage that you start ignoring the good done by your oponents is clear bad sportsmenship.
Something most of us seem to have forgotten in the rat race for the 'Kursi'.
@irshad: Kiddo nothing personal ......but I have interacted with the likes from early 80's , through universities and work life....this is only the grand-children generation...I have seen them through earlier generation......for them coming coming in liberal parties is a process of divesifying their interests.
If you do hope for a paradigm shift...people need to be weighed in light of their tax contributions and that too on a pro rata basis.
I too could have lobbied ceaselessly for PTI/ISF etc if someone was busy tilling the soil to pay for my bills.
some people here do not know the matter and just speak mindlessly....i am a worker of ISF KARACHI and we all in the khi chapter of isf have known and are a witness of moula bukhsh's dedication to the cause and his hard work..he is one of the most active youngsters in isf khi..
.......who have departed from their family’s political line...
Anyone coming from a slave traders' ( feudal ) background, people who dont know what it means to pay taxes and have a real career/day job ( not living off on ancestral slave farms) ......CANNOT be bearer of insaaf.....PTI or not....over the years I have met lots of similar scions of soomro clan ....I am sorry but buying an American degree from money earned through the sweat of peasants does not really make you liberal and progressive.
@Ovais: He won Elections fair and Square. He came in the party from ISF.. that is the very basic level. He was not made some leader upon joining just because he is the son of so and so. Kindly appreciate democracy.
Somro, Waleed Iqbal, Abrar Ul Haq it seems youth is wise enough and selecting a good party.
Good to see politically active educated youngsters working towards a goal.
For Mr.Soomro and other young lot, Pls Join a party who has clear vision and strategy for Sindh. PTI has nothing to offer to Sindh. During huge show of IK in Karachi, he did not utter a single word for Sindh based problems, abysmal situation of flood effectees, right over natural resources, Sindhi language bill. He did not dare to challenge the terrorist elements within Karachi. PTI has no vision related to Sindh except rhetoric. If you dont like PPP, go and see viable alternates for example SAPNA (Alliance of progressive Nationalist forces) or Change tahreek by Kazi sb, etc
sad even the youth leadership of pti is now given to son of this and that