Power struggles: In Badin, former friends turn foes

The city wears the look of a political minefield - one that could turn red on a whim

BADIN:

Badin city has lately undergone an aesthetic uplift - or defacement, depending on the way you look at it.

The national flag fights for space with the Pakistan Peoples Party's green, red and black on all the major thoroughfares and congested lanes. The reason for the tussle becomes apparent on close inspection of the national flag - its white now carries the slogan 'Jeay Mirza' in red font.



The flags hang from electricity poles, above single-storey shops, traffic lights and across the width of the road, hanging from ropes. Then there are the life-sized billboards, with the faces of several candidates, along with the party's bigwigs, staring down at the onlooker with grave expressions. They mean business. In Badin, politics can be deadly. The district has been declared highly sensitive by the home department. And for good reason too.

The residents and traders have proclaimed their political affiliations clearly. The flags or posters hanging from the roof of their houses or workplaces declare whose side they're on. The contest is between the PPP and candidates nominated by Zulfiqar Mirza's - the arrow against the bottle that appears to be a medicine container.

Voters divided

The PPP contestants are worried about the results. Their party has little to show in terms of performance for the time it has been in government in the district. Dr Sikandar Mandhro, the party's MPA from the area who currently has four portfolios, is almost a non-entity.



On the other side is a formidable foe - a fiery character who has plenty of dirt to fling on his former party and mentors. Mirza is also feared in the district. Even the PPP candidates complained their government had failed to make adequate security arrangements during the campaign.

Gul Hassan Jutt, the PPP candidate from Fatehabad union council, which houses Dr Sikandar Mandhro's home village and Mirza's farmhouse, complained to The Express Tribune that Mirza's men were openly vandalising their posters and placing theirs instead. Jutt added that they had requested the party leadership to deploy more law enforcers but their pleas had not been heeded. On the other hand, Mirza's camp makes the same complaints against the PPP, accusing it of using state machinery to manipulate the elections.

There is confusion too. Mirza was the undisputed leader, nominated by the PPP, for over two decades. His estrangement has left the voters confused - do they go with the age-old PPP sentiment or side with its powerful opponent?



But there is still hope, Jutt feels. "Here, people see Benazir Bhutto's picture and stamp their vote on the arrow symbol next to it," he smiled. "People don't really expect anything from us," he says, the smile widening into a grin. "They know that when the ministers didn't do anything, why should we."

Tough competition

Jutt's words echo with a majority of the residents. Though they have displayed the flags of either of the parties, they are still unsure who to vote for. Some have an ideological connection with the PPP and Benazir Bhutto, others have been charmed by Mirza's firebrand politics.

Elderly Usman Jamali, who lives near Khorwa Chowk in Badin district, deftly dodges the question. "We will see," he says with a smirk. "Some are offering Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 per vote," he said, gesturing towards a picture of Mirza staring down from a billboard across the road. "Let's see how much our vote is really worth," he smiles, before waving goodbye and walking off.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 19^th, 2015.