In the quest to beat Zulfiqar Mirza’s son, Arbab Rahim picks up an old colleague

PML-Q’s Papoo Shah joins PML-Q (likeminded group), to contest by-election in Badin on February 25.

KARACHI:

Former minister for population welfare Syed Ali Bux Shah – better known as Papoo Shah – has left the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) to join its breakaway faction, the PML-Q (likeminded group) and plans to contest the by-election for Zulfiqar Mirza’s former seat in Badin.

The PML-Q (likeminded group) is led by former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim. Papoo Shah has joined Arbab Rahim to defeat one of the youngest candidates of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Hasnain Mirza, the son of former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza in the by-election for Zulfiqar’s seat.

“I have joined the Arbab group,” Papoo Shah confirmed. “It was necessary to join a strong group. This development will be a critical situation for Mirza.”

By joining Arbab Rahim, Papoo Shah has gained leverage and in return the former chief minister acquires the backing of a candidate with a track record. Papoo Shah’s candidacy gives what was already an interesting election a new direction, as many wondered if Hasnain Mirza would be given a seat after his father’s public outbursts last year.

This alliance can also settle an old electoral score, as the Papoo Shah-Mirza family rivalry is also set to pass on from parents to son. Papoo Shah was defeated by Dr Fehmida Mirza in the 1993 general elections, when he lost the National Assembly seat (NA-173) to her by a small margin. And again, in 2007, Fehmida’s husband Zulfiqar Mirza beat Papoo Shah to win the provincial assembly seat PS-57 by a considerably large difference - 33,111 votes to Papoo Shah’s 13,853.

Papoo Shah is now set to face the couple’s eldest son, Hasnain Mirza, in the by-election for PS-57, which was vacated when Zulfiqar Mirza resigned from the Sindh Assembly last year.

The constituency up for grabs is one of the worst-affected by last year’s floods, taluka Tando Bago in Badin district. Opponents of Hasnain Mirza will also capitalise on the fact that there are thousands of voters who are still living on the road after being displaced by the excessive rainfall last summer. Elections were delayed because of the floods in the area.

Papoo Shah told The Express Tribune that Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s candidate Haji Sain Bux Jamali will withdraw in his favour in the next 24 hours. “The voters were divided on who to vote for, and with Jamali’s withdrawal, my position will be clear,” he added.

He said that people opposed to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had assured him of their support, saying that voters in the constituency were unhappy with Zulfiqar Mirza’s attitude.

Papoo Shah visited Dubai a few days ago to meet the former chief minister, who is currently living there.

In 2002, Papoo Shah won the PS-57 constituency with 30,045 votes and was a minister in Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s cabinet. His wife, Bibi Yasmeen Shah, served as a senator from 2003 to 2009.

While there are other candidates in the fray who could dent Hasnain Mirza’s chances, including Mir Manzoor Talpur of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamaat-e-Ahle Sunnat’s Maulvi Abdullah Sindhi, local analysts say that the competition to watch is Mirza and Shah.

On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) voters have also been reportedly told to support the PPP candidates. However sources told The Express Tribune that these voters will support Papoo Shah because of Zulfiqar Mirza’s attitude towards them when he was provincial home minister. The PML-F is a coalition partner of the PPP.

Arbab Ghulam Rahim left Pakistan when he was insulted by a PPP worker in the Sindh Assembly. He formed his own group when the PML-Q joined the ruling coalition. This by-election, scheduled for February 25, is the first time that a candidate of his group will contest a seat from Badin.

20 people are standing for the Badin seat but the key contestants include:

PPP’s Hasnain Mirza

PML-Q (Likeminded) Papoo Shah

PML-N’s Mir Manzoor Talpur

JAS’s Maulvi Abdullah Sindhi

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2012.