What has happened to the PPP?... By M. Khan
05 October, 2012
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in November 1967 as a revolutionary party to ameliorate the plight of the common man, particularly peasants and labourers, informally expired on October 1, 2012 when the Sindh Assembly adopted a dictatorial stance and passed the highly controversial Sindh People's Local Government Ordinance (SPLGO) in a matter of minutes. No discussion was allowed and the attitude of the speaker, Mr Nisar Khuhro, was like that of any dictator. He seems to have taken after his late uncle, Mr Muhammad Ayub Khuhro, the then chief minister of Sindh who used harsh measures, including the detainment of the then speaker of the Sindh Assembly, the late Mr Ghulam Ali Talpur, in a rest house in Mithi — a far flung area in the Thar desert. The 19 members of the Sindh Assembly who were in the opposition, staged a loud protest inside the house and at least 14 members of the PPP did not attend the session in protest. Strangely, Nisar Khuhro declared that the ordinance was passed unanimously almost five minutes after presenting it; he did not include the members of the opposition in this declaration. If the government does not allow such controversial ordinances to be discussed when vital matters are to be decided through such ordinances, there is no justification for having the Sindh Assembly in the first place. After the passage of this ordinance in such a hurry, one can still witness violent protests throughout the province; at least one man was killed in Nawabshah and a curfew was imposed in some parts of the city with hundreds of civilians injured. It appears that the PPP, which was once a true representative of the people of Sindh, has informally expired. We will miss the original spirit of this party and hope that one day it is found once again. Mohammad Khan Sial
Karachi
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