Feudal versus nationalists: Nationalists upset with 10-party alliance

Sindh Taraqi Pasand party chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi holds press conference.

HYDERABAD: Fissures have begun to appear in the nascent ten-party alliance in Sindh over the allocation of seats in the province for the upcoming general elections.

At a press conference on Friday, Sindh Taraqi Pasand (STP) party’s chairperson Dr Qadir Magsi accused the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional of preferring feudal candidates over nationalist workers. “The feudal lords first try to get tickets from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) or the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. If they fail, they head to the PML-F.” Dr Magsi complained that the alliance has given only one seat to his party’s candidate for NA-221 in Hyderabad district.

“The Qaumi Awami Tehreek and Sindh United Party - both Sindhi nationalist parties, which are part of the tripartite Sindh Progressive Nationalist Alliance - have been given five to six seats each,” he pointed out.

Aiming to defeat the PPP, the alliance announced on Thursday the names of 24 candidates for the National Assembly and 38 candidates for Sindh Assembly seats. Although it has yet to come up with the final list for all the 61 NA and 130 PS constituencies in Sindh, the complaints have begun to emerge.



According to Dr Magsi, a total of 55 candidates of the STP had submitted their nomination forms for various constituencies. But, he said, he voluntarily reduced the number of the aspiring candidates from his party to four for the National Assembly and 17 for the Sindh Assembly to accommodate other parties.

Dr Magsi withdrew himself  from the contest after barbs flew between him and Ayaz Palijo, the president of Qaumi Awami Tehreek, for a while as both wanted to contest from PS-47 in Qasimabad, Hyderabad. He drew back, allowing Palijo to contest from Qasimabad, also assuring him complete support of the STP.

“I don’t want t any disagreements to develop in the alliance,” he said. “I gave up my own candidature for its sake.” Nevertheless, Dr Magsi is determined to prevent the PPP from getting a walkover in Sindh due to the infighting in the alliance. “We don’t want to create a situation that the people of Sindh lose faith in us.”

Dr Magsi asked the PML-F leader Pir Pagaro to redress their grievances by April 17. He warned of leaving the alliance if the STP candidates are not accommodated. Meanwhile, PML-F general secretary Imtiaz Shaikh, who has been leading the negotiations with the parties in the alliance, could not be contacted for the party’s stance.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2013.