Sindh Sinned By Fahd HusainPublished: October 19, 2014 Share this articlePrint this page Email The writer is Director News, Express News. He tweets @fahdhusain [email protected] Bilawal enters. Again. But will the rapturous roar of the jiyalas in Karachi drown out the cries and groans of the abandoned souls of Sindh? As the son also rises — again — he faces a bitter and brutal truth: his party has Sindh. His party has also sinned. This now is a defining moment for a party that once revolutionised politics in Pakistan. From the behemoth that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto created through his vision and grit, we today have a caricature of the original entity. Obliterated and whitewashed in other provinces, Bhutto’s party has limped back to its home base bruised, battered and bloodied. Here in the hearts of the people the party was born. And here it prepares to make its last stand. But make a stand with what? Rhetoric? Emotional blackmail? Delightful stupidity? Or all of the above? If the new slogan is any indication, the PPP is in no mood to learn the right lessons. “Marsoon marsoon Sindh na daisoon” (I will die but not give up Sindh) confirms the party’s ethnically limited aspirations, rooted more in nationalism than performance. No wonder the party slogan is mocked: “marsoon marsoon kaam na karsoon” (I will die but not work). Bilawal now lords over a ship deliberately searching for an iceberg to hit. In the Multan by-election debacle, the PPP candidate lost the election and possibly also his dignity. Now the party is already being mentioned in the past tense in Punjab. Asif Ali Zardari may have a 200-kanal house in Lahore, but his party cannot even find six yards for its grave in Punjab. Too harsh? Then consider this: There is nothing original left in the party. Nothing. Heck, even its jalsa is a mock imitation of the PTI extravaganzas. And trust the PPP to not even be able to do face-painting neatly. This, in fact, says it all: if you cannot paint a face in your colours, you think you can paint hearts? Too harsh? Consider this: The party cannot even properly sell the one untarnished brand it has: Bilawal. Just look at their advertisements and promotionals: they reek of unimaginative mediocrity dipped in fakeness. The images insult your intelligence: Zardari wading in rain water; Bilawal walking knee-deep in flood water; Bilawal shaking outstretched hands and being kissed by old women; Bilawal ranting with his unbuttoned sleeves flaying in the wind. I mean, seriously? Are these supposed to inspire us? Make us go weak in the knees? Really? Too harsh? Consider this: This stench of unimaginative, unoriginal mediocrity is emanating from a party that introduced political originality; that fired up dulled imaginations and that propelled a genius on to the national stage. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto defined change when this nation did not really know what that meant. He defied the titans, mocked the status quo and promised dignity and power to the weak and suppressed people. He won. Yes, he committed blunders and ultimately paid the price for his own weaknesses and vanity, but Z A Bhutto was a true game-changer for his era. And so was his daughter. The brave Benazir Bhutto was hardened in a crucible of national fire and personal tragedy. Alone and abandoned, she battled the might of the Pakistani establishment with true grit and truer courage. She won. Yes, she made many mistakes and the nation paid heavily for them, but for her age and times she lived in, Benazir Bhutto was a true game-changer. And now? The party of Z A Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto seems to be out of the game, and clearly, out of all this change business. Surviving on the memories of its martyrs and fuelling its cadres with fake bravado, Bilawal’s party today is as exciting as a damp cloth. But still Sindh votes for it. For the Bhutto name weaves magic in their hearts, and stirs emotions like nothing else can. In this old and mystical land, the Bhutto brand rises above the din of daily politicking and arouses a certain spiritual reverence. This old and mystical land is mired in poverty and backwardness. It is ravaged by rapacious landlords, who feed off the misery of its inhabitants. Here in this land, roads are cratered as are priorities of the rulers. Here hospitals reek of waste and apathy, as do those who run them. Here schools are decrepit and dilapidated, just like the education imparted in them. Here progress and prosperity is treated like a curse, just like the mandate placed on undeserving heads like a crown. Yet, the PPP has no challenge here. This is why it has sinned and still has Sindh. But times — dear Bilawal — they are a changin’. Tremors are always the strongest near the epicentre, but then they travel outwards and rock the landscape. Change is in the air — and it has a No Return, No Refund policy. It’s a genie that will just not go back in the bottle. Yes sir, it’s a virus that leaps from one heart to the other, leaving behind a deliciously mutating infection. This virus respects no provincial, ethnic and linguistic boundaries. So be warned and beware — it’s coming your way. And this then is the challenge that Bilawal and his party face: in this era of dizzying change fuelled by a deep and intense yearning for progress, how to find relevance. Look at the faces on the stage with Bilawal; look at the leadership that runs the province; look at the grandees that wrap themselves in the tricolor flag — and what do you see? Tired, haggard, tried-tested-and-failed people with nothing to say, nothing to do and even less to inspire. This party leadership should be in a museum, not on a stage. But this is the tragedy of the party that Bhutto built: it refuses to realise that emotions alone cannot feed and clothe people. The PPP has Sindh. The PPP has sinned. Now it must atone for both, or pay the ultimate price. Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2014. Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces. Read more: Azadimarch Share this articlePrint this page Email RELATED STORIES 18 Oct 2014bilawal-13Bilawal vows to continue mission of his mother 18 Oct 2014004-176Rest in peace: Remembering the Janisaran 16 Oct 2014ikram-sehgal-new-2-2-2-3-2-3-2-2-2-2-2A hint of elections? Reader Comments (42) ALL COMMENTSREADERS RECOMMENDATIONS Ranjha less than a minute ago Reply The best dressing down of a political party I have ever come across. The truth, as Imran says, will out! Recommend spoton less than a minute ago Reply Cudnt have defined PPPs demise better Recommend Yasir less than a minute ago Reply Seriously Fahd, have you joined PTI. All your articles have words inspired by Saint Kaptaan. Recommend dina less than a minute ago Reply Very well written article I must say. You are absolutely correct that the PPP government has done nothing. for this province and its unfortunate inhabitants.. They neither have the sincerity nor the will to do so. One should feel sorry for people who still support it, yet one feels contempt for them. They cannot see through the PPP leadership’s fakeness and uselessness Recommend Syed Ali less than a minute ago Reply A perfect article to describe the corrupt disaster that is PPP. But hey, can you do us all a favor and not point out their mistakes next time? I want them to continue on this path of death that they are taking; it’s in the best interest of all Pakistanis that this cancer called PPP dies off. Recommend abrar less than a minute ago Reply a beautifully crafted article … says it all … shame on ppp, u got nothing new to cell Recommend Hassan Shaheed less than a minute ago Reply Simply, an articulated masterpiece by Fahad. Recommend Ali less than a minute ago Reply Wait till 21 November!! PTI comes to Larkana to liberate Sindi brothers! IA Recommend rehan less than a minute ago Reply wow fahad Hussain a true face to ppp coorupt part P for pathetic p for pagal and P for party and listen to the leader no vision no plan just the same old bhutto nara which doent suit him as HE IS NOT BHUTTO HE IS ZARDARI SO WHY HE CHANTS Recommend Hobi Haripur wala. less than a minute ago Reply ‘..Z. Bhutto was a game changer for his era.’ In which way? What did he change? Oh! Yes! Declared the Ahmadis non Muslims. Pandered to mullahs and made alliances just so he could be politically expedient. Lost the election to a East Pakistani, fair and square then refused to accept the results. Created a no win situation for Pak Army. More like a Tiger Hunt. With the Indian beaters [read 20 army divisions] herding from all sides to slaughter the Pak Army.. [the Indians call it a war and still gloat over it??] He will be known for his debacle after debacle….no game changer…him. ‘…the brave Benazir Bhutto” …Very possibly one of the most corrupt politician in history. Mohtarma during her two stints, relieved the treasury of roughly $2 billion dollars. Money wise, she is right up there with the likes of Hosni Mubarak, Putin. El Abidine of Tunis, Sonia Gandhi….so what was brave about looting the country? The author should admit he is a secret admirer of the Bhutto Jagirdari. Recommend Babar Lodhi less than a minute ago Reply I agree with the writer of this article Mr Fahd Hussain, in its last 4 tenures PPP has given nothing but bad governance, corruption and VIP culture. On one hand PPP has deprived Sindh of local government and the other Bilawal accuses others for PPP’s own faults. From arming the PAC to politicizing Sindh especially Karachi police PPP is solely responsible for the dismal law and order situation in Karachi. No doubt Bilawal is Bold and Energetic Youth, but the way he talks he looks more of a foreign product rather than a home grown leader. A guy who can’t speak the National Language fluently talks about nationalism is nothing but a emotional melodrama, if PPP wants to revive its long lost glory the only way forward is the complete overhauling of party structure and rooting out the corrupt elements out of PPP’s fold. Though it seems impossible to distinguish between corrupt and honest leadership within PPP as almost everyone including Co chairman PPP is allegedly involved in Swiss bank accounts scandal but there is no other way out for the debutant Bilawal to have a realistic chance of appearing on the national scene as a third generation (3G) Bhutto. Recommend Os less than a minute ago Reply Bravo! You sir, have hit the proverbial nail on the head. Recommend Asad less than a minute ago Reply Love your writing skills! beautifully done Recommend Ahmer less than a minute ago Reply Fahd Hussain – Is he the best English language opinion writer in Pakistan these days? At least he’s one of the best. Keep it up Fahd. Recommend Yasmin Elahi less than a minute ago Reply A very brilliant summary of the past, present and expected future of the PPP! With nothing new, motivating or inspiring to offer Bilawal the Bhutto heir miserably failed to impress. Slogans like “Kal bhee Bhutto zinda tha Aaj bhee Bhutto zinda hai” are not crutches enough for this politically lame lad! He simply lacks charisma! All the PPP efforts, time and money put into his Launch (as if he is a product and not a human being) have gone down the drain. Recommend Tahir less than a minute ago Reply The PPP has Sindh. The PPP has sinned. Now it must atone for both, or pay the ultimate price. Fantastic piece with powerful closing Recommend Mohammed less than a minute ago Reply The Bhuttos have controlled Sindh ever since i was a child,but what has Sindh got for this loyalty-nothing. Every last penny has been looted by these crooks, nothing works, at times I feel I am going back in history to the 19th century. Recommend M Naeem less than a minute ago Reply Good Article, No doubt ZAB & BBhutto were great leaders, but Asif Zardari and Bilawal Zardari can’t match the vision of Bhutto’s, Imran khan has become the Ambassador of chage right now, PPP guys have arranged this jalsa just fearing that, just to keep Sindh in hand, Recommend Sharjeel Sohaib less than a minute ago Reply The expression, it’s spot on. And the crux of whole article is in two lines “Bilawal ranting with his unbuttoned sleeves flaying in the wind. I mean, seriously? Are these supposed to inspire us? Make us go weak in the knees? Really?” and This party leadership should be in a museum, not on a stage. Recommend Asad Shaikh less than a minute ago Reply Great piece Fahd sahab. Both PPP and MQM have ruined Sindh. It’s about time that the people of Sindh (including myself) stand up for themselves and reject both of these parties. Recommend Sameer less than a minute ago Reply A great article, with very precise analogies. but i still dont see any change in Sindh. Its just way too impoverished to realise that! Recommend Naeem Khan less than a minute ago Reply “Tired, haggard, tried-tested-and-failed people with nothing to say, nothing to do and even less to inspire.” BUT THEY ARE MILLIONARES NOW, DON’T THEY. “Change is in the air”, sitting far away from home I am looking inside from out side and how right you are, yes sir, change is coming and no matter how little but it is coming for the betterment of the nation. Great read as usual, enjoyed reading it. Recommend Milind less than a minute ago Reply Funny, reading from India you may just replace PPP with Congress and Bilawal with Rahul. Recommend Masood less than a minute ago Reply This is 2014 and I am astonished to see the second and third generation sons and daughters of these status-quo politicians with the same empty rhetoric. I would like to remind them that the present youth of Pakistan is not even ready to listen to these jokes. In this age of electronic and social media it would be better if they keep whatever traits of normal human beings they are left with, and do not try to mimic others. I would like to warn them that electronic and social media has become merciless. Nobody can fool present generation youth anymore, They know more than the previous generation and what leadership, hard work, sincerity, and perseverance etc is needed to bring about positive change in our society. Fortunately people have already found the leadership they were waiting for, and present awakening is testimony to it. They should do what they are good at doing-partying or raising kids and have a good time in those activities, before its too late and they are left with no escape route. Recommend Kashif Naqvi less than a minute ago Reply Good analysis. May or may not agree with PTI, but they have managed to create much awakening. Sloganeering just won’t do anymore. All parties are without fresh ideas, and they are just aping PTI. But sadly, none talk about policies, of how will they achieve??? This is a key difference bewteen our politics and the west. We need thought out policies and time frames, not emotional sloganeering. Recommend Khan less than a minute ago Reply Beautiful piece of writing! And reflects on reality. We actually feel disgusted when we see this fake show of bravery ! Alas! Baby Zardari does not get it why PPP has touched rock bottom. When his father with his credibility speaks of Shaukat khanum and Kaptaan, one feels simply disgusted. Next action, turn the TV off and one says” you think we are stupid?”go back home looser! Recommend Khurram Awan less than a minute ago Reply For the very first time I am reading Fahd Hussain and I must say that he has described the things very masterfully. It was worth reading. Recommend A Citizen less than a minute ago Reply Every word of this article is true. I visit Sindh every year 2-3 times. The situation in Sindh is even worse than described by Fahd Hussain. I hope the people of Sindh rise against this Personal Power Party (PPP). This party has given nothing to Sindh or to the country. I am so glad this has finished here in Punjab. Recommend Pacer less than a minute ago Reply There is no such thing as PPP, where I live, in islamabad/rawalpindi. Thats the fate awaiting them in Sindh now Recommend Malik less than a minute ago Reply Bilawal is end of General Rule – story finished – see ur End! Recommend waqas less than a minute ago Reply harsh truth is till the time imran khan is relevant in pakistani politics ppp won’t be able to make a comeback… Recommend S.R.H. Hashmi less than a minute ago Reply An excellent appraisal, I must say. Peoples Party has Sindh, and has sinned, and in consequence, has thinned but unable and unwilling to comprehend and accept that, it will see no need for atonement, thus end up paying the ultimate price, with not many people around to mourn its demise. Karachi Recommend Janan less than a minute ago Reply @Yasir Its widely believed that proper education can free a man from chains of mental slavery. Then, few people like you put that theory to doubt. Recommend Adnan less than a minute ago Reply Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and benazir Bhutto were game changers indeed but unfortunately that game had nothing to do with Pakistan and its people. Game was all about power,money and exploitation. Recommend Shahrukh Fatah less than a minute ago Reply Superb! The colossal mausoleum (built for Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto) rising out of a wasteland and with people living in the most pitiable state in the shade of this grandeur is so STARK. Bilawal and his father should rethink their priorities. When your people turn against you, there is nothing you can do. Recommend ishrat salim less than a minute ago Reply PPP has Sindh & it has sinned…very well said Fahad Sb…there is no doubt on this saying. The hypocrisy of the leaders on the stage & ranting knew no bound. Not one person was telling the truth, but made it very clear that Bilawal was being forcefully propped up to prevent the sad demise of PPP. Launching of Bilawal at this critical time was nothing but act of desperation by PPP, who only realized it after the dharnas of IK / TuQ, who has opened the can of worms & unveiled the abhorrent practices of the people in power & of those who live in the glass house call ” Parliament “. Recommend Waqas less than a minute ago Reply Brilliant! Just wait and we’ll all be surprised how they’ll further ruin this once inspirational party! Recommend Ahmad less than a minute ago Reply This is one of the most brilliantly written pieces I have seen in a long time! Great work…. Recommend Manzoor Khan less than a minute ago Reply Bhutto clan has done this country so big and deep a damage which is surpassed manyfold by the damage done by our biggest enemy, India. The biggest destroyer of democracy was ZAB. He destroyed most other institutions of the country and his daughter introduced the legacy of corruption of the highest order through the great ZARDARI. With Zardari being the mentor what will Bilawal learn ! Sooner this curse demises the better for the country and it’s wretched people especially the sinned Sindhis. Recommend Parvez less than a minute ago Reply You not only have a way with words….you have a way with spelling out the truth……brilliant, just brilliant. Recommend Old Ravian less than a minute ago Reply PPP has always been reaping on the momentum created by Zulfiqar Bhotto, followed by his assassination. Even Benazir had nothing to offer but her father’s dead body. PPP has never delivered…. people realized it after its five years (mis)rule. Greatness was thrust upon it by circumstances. Now it has lived its life. Lets move on. And also Bilawal is a Zardari. Jiyala’s need to accept that. Recommend Q khatana less than a minute ago Reply With all his brilliance ZAB was the first to set the party on path of destruction. But for his sad end this very thoughtful piece could have appeared in say 1980. Benazir proved a good successor but could not resist the temptation of corruption for long. Zardari completed the job of finishing the party with perfection. So far Bilwal has proved to be what he is. Totally unprepared for the role. Recommend
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 10:59:54 +0000
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