Ruling PPP, PML-F to show political strength this month
* Both parties engaged in finalising arrangements for staging separate mammoth gatherings
* Pagaro to address public meeting in Hyderabad
* PPP says Bilawal will also address biggest gathering
By Razzak Abro, Thursday, December 13, 2012, -- Source
KARACHI: Ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Opposition’s Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) are engaged in finalising arrangements for separately staging, what they claim, biggest political gatherings scheduled for this month.
The PML-F will hold the public gathering on December 14 in Hyderabad, and the PPP on December 27 in Garhi Khuda Bux, Larkana. Both the gatherings are very much important ahead of the forthcoming general elections, and also because of special appearance and projection of two
personalities.
Spiritual leader of Hurs, Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, who presently enjoys title of Pir Pagaro, is scheduled to address the PML-F’s Hyderabad gathering.
According to the PML-F leadership, it will be a Pir Pagaro’s appearance at a political public meeting after around 35 years. Usually Pir Pagaro did appear at spiritual gatherings of his followers at Dargah in Khairpur. The PML-F leaders say previous Pagaro, Shah Mardan Shah Rashdi, had last time appeared and spoke at a political gathering of PNA in Islamabad.
It was the reason that his party has very much publicised the Hyderabad public meeting. The party has given special advertisements in local newspapers and TV Channels also. Most of the advertisements have highlighted controversy on Sindh People’s Local Government Ordinance, 2012.
It is, however, yet not clear that Pir Pagaro’s Hur Jamaat was fully part of its spiritual leader’s political activities or not, as current Pir Pagaro holds his political activities at his personal residence, Raja House instead of the official residence, Kingri House.
Similarly, the ruling PPP’s scheduled public meeting is also important because of two reasons. One of those is its timing. It will be last event of Benazir Bhutto’s death anniversary, which comes during current PPP regime, and her first death anniversary, which comes ahead of fresh general elections.
The PPP leadership has already announced that the party chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will address the public gathering ‘which will be a biggest one in the country. The ruling party says that Bilawal has to lead the election campaign of the party for forthcoming general polls.
Therefore it is likely that Bilawal will also speak in Urdu and Sindhi first time in any of his addresses.
The party has adopted hectic efforts to ensure maximum participation of its workers and common public in the Larkana gathering. Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who is also provincial president of the party, has started conducting divisional meetings of the party in this regard.
Similarly, all the party’s MNAs, MPAs, Senators, and Ministers belonging to the Sindh have been given the task of ensuring maximum participation of people at the public meeting.