Even the Abbasi family of Larkana, which has supported the PPP for decades, might go its own way. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has yet to announce the final list of members who will get the prized tickets for the upcoming general elections, but some stalwarts have already started hinting that they intend to go solo.
Among them is former PPP MPA Humera Alwani, one of the most active legislators during the last two tenures of the provincial assembly. After the party refused to allot her the reserved seat for women in either the provincial or national assembly, she filed papers to contest for PS-88, Ghorabari in Thatta. This is the same seat for which President Asif Ali Zardari’s foster brother, Owaiz Muzaffar Hashmi, alias Tappi, had filed his nomination form.
“I have filed the form as an independent candidate and will contest elections on my own if the party allots seats to undeserving people.”
Straining ties
Even the Abbasi family of Larkana, which has supported the PPP for decades, might go its own way. The move could dent PPP’s vote bank - especially in Waleeda, the hometown of Haji Munawwar Ali Abbasi, a former PPP minister who served as an MPA no less than four times. The Abbasi family was considered to be very close to PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto.
Back in 1972, Zulfikar Bhutto had appointed Begum Ashraf Abbasi as the National Assembly’s first woman deputy speaker. Her children, including former senator Safdar Ali Abbasi and Munawwar, were close aides of Benazir. But after the former prime minister was assassinated in 2008, the family fell out of favour with the party’s new leaders.
Munawwar has filed nomination papers for PS-38, his son Moazzam Ali Abbasi for NA-204 and his younger brother Safdar Ali Abbasi - the husband of Naheed Khan, Benazir’s secretary - for NA 205.
Munawwar said, “A couple of days ago Qaim Ali Shah, the president of our party’s Sindh chapter, visited us with the former speaker of the provincial assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro. They asked us not to contest elections and support PPP candidates.” When Munawwar reportedly turned down this request, the PPP decided to award the party ticket for PS-38 to the Larkana’s former nazim, Khursheed Junejo, instead. Munawwar told The Express Tribune that he had accepted PPP’s decision. “I am a member of the party and will abide by the choices it makes,” he said. “However, I cannot ask my brother and son to withdraw their candidature.” He also mentioned that he hadn’t decided yet whether to contest the elections as an independent candidate.
Other candidates, other worries
Saira Shahliani and Gohar Ali Shahliani from Jacobabad had also served as MPAs in 2002 and 2008. Their father, Ghulam Muhammad Shahliani had served as an MPA and a senator of the party. But now PPP is mulling over the issue and thinking of giving the ticket to other candidates. Shahliani has threatened the party that he will contest the elections independently.
Another party member contesting independently is Waheeda Shah, who made headlines in 2012 following PPP’s decision to allot her a ticket to contest by-polls for PS-53 following the death of her husband Masoom Shah. ECP had disqualified her earlier for roughing up the staff at the polling station but the apex court has lifted the ban. PPP hasn’t, however, given her a ticket. “I have filed papers as independent candidate. The returning officer has accepted my forms.”
The same views were expressed by former PPP MNA Ghani Talpur who had won NA-231 in Dadu during the last elections. Talpur has now filed nomination papers for NA-227, Mirpurkhas, and NA-22, Tando Muhammad Khan.
The party’s stance
Qaim Ali Shah, said, “The party’s parliamentary boards will make decisions on merit. All workers, leaders even parliamentarians who served during the last tenure should accept the decisions.”
With additional reporting by Sarfaraz Memon
Published in The Express Tribune, April 7th, 2013.
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3 members of one family trying to get tickets. As IK said politics is a family business. I cant think of one honest member of both the PPP/PML. Its all about money and nothing about the people and the irony is that people are too stupid to realise.