KARACHI - Just after two days, Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sar Zameen will hold its much-trumpeted public meeting at Bagh-e-Jinnah to create political tsunami in the metropolis.
The party has launched publicity campaign to make the meeting successful. Billboards are seen at main thoroughfares while pamphlets and handbills are being distributed in the city.
Political circles are predicting more defection of MQM MPAs before Aril 24 public meeting. The sitting assembly members present in Karachi have two choices, either to join PSP or to face cases.
The four MPAs who have joined PSP are being tasked to woo first-tier leaders from Muttahida.
However, the situation in interior Sindh is different from Karachi as despite two visits to Hyderabad, Kamal-led PSP could not attract any powerful personality in the second biggest city of Sindh where MQM enjoys comfortable support of Urdu speaking community.
When contacted, veteran journalist and political analyst Ali Hassan predicted some bright future for PSP because, he said, MQM has been under pressure from more than a year and passing through a critical situation. Urdu speaking community has no choice. The result of NA-245 Karachi is an eye opener for the people, he argued. It depends upon when Altaf Hussain will be out of the scene. The powers that be are ready to accept Karachi Rabita Committee and not London Committee.
When his attention was drawn to the demand of Mustafa Kamal for giving way out to the MQM workers who are facing cases, he said corruption and anti-state activities have different implications, so they (MQM workers) would be treated on case-to-case basis.
A similar situation was witnessed in Mirpurkhas, the hometown of Anis Advocate, where PSP could not rope in any influential person. Instead, the leaders faced a hostile mob that smashed the windowpanes of their vehicles.
The PSP has opened its office at the residence of Usman Murghiwala, a former Sindh council member of Pervez Musharraf’s APML.
When talked to local journalists of Mirpurkhas, Jhuddo, Naukot and Digri, they said the people came out on streets not in support of MQM but it was their hate against Anis Advocate who exploited his position when in Muttahida.
They added during his stint as zonal in-charge of Mirpurkhas from 1990 to 1997 and as a Rabita Committee member, Anis Advocate did nothing for the people of Mirpurkhas. Instead, he helped his six brothers secure lucrative positions in government offices and his close relatives by exploiting his powers.
One of his brothers, elevated to the post of chairman, Board of Education, Mirpurkhas, abused his powers and accumulated huge money during his three-year tenure. His other brother enjoyed the post of Hesco chief.
He got his other brother promoted to grade-21 as the KWSB chairman who is living in a palatial house near Hassan Square, Karachi. Yet another brother of Anis remained NBP vice president in Karachi.
Political analysts are of the view that though Sindhi nationalist parties brought out a large number of people on streets and held big public meetings against PPP on several issues, but they failed to win recently held local bodies elections. So those working on this "alternative politics" formula will have to see how the politics of Karachi and Hyderabad shapes, they argued. It has yet to be seen how Mustafa Kamal proves his mettle at the ballot box.