HYDERABAD: With the inclusion of a mainstream nationalist party — the Sindh United Party (SUP) — in its fold, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) seems to be gearing up with renewed vigour for general elections that are due this year if the five-year term of present dispensation is anything to go by.

The GDA is still having a relationship with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and it may go into general election, and also the local government elections that are due in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions, to trouble both the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) as a test case. GDA also anticipates one of its component parties, the Qaumi Awami Tehreek. to play an active role through GDA which is anti-PPP in its essence.

Under GDA’s umbrella, SUP president Syed Jalal Shah aims to challenge PPP again on parliamentary front as PPP faces incumbency factor, especially in the wake of 2022 floods, that have spelt disaster for almost one-third of Sindh. Opposition alliance like GDA is poised to capitalise on it.

Anti-PPP or opposition parties had been endeavoring to oust PPP in Sindh, the latter ruling since Feb 2008 after its chairperson Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack on Dec 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi. These alliances have, however, been unable, or unlucky, to beat PPP. GDA did dent PPP in its bastion of power, Larkana, by winning one Sindh Assembly constituency.

“After 2018 polls PPP was given Sindh government under an arrangement,” observes GDA secretary general and erstwhile PPP diehard Dr Safdar Abbasi. His nephew Moazzam Abbasi beat PPP’s candidate on PS-11 seat in 2018 with support of Larkana-specific local election alliance i.e. Larkana Awami Ittehad (LAI). He has lately resigned from his seat after finding himself helpless in delivering to people during relief work in floods last Aug-Sept period.

SUP joins GDA after experiencing frustration with PML-N, snubbing STP

GDA is organising itself, too. “We are forming district and tehsil level committees to create a formal structure of GDA, established as an electoral alliance ahead of the 2018 polls. It still survives as alliance which is rare in the history of electoral alliances,” Dr Safdar insists. He was confident that GDA will remain a potent alliance of Sindh’s and federalist parties to challenge PPP. “PPP got more seats in 2018 than 2008 when we contested polls after having been struck by the tragedy of Bibi’s assassination and this proves my point, otherwise it had lacklustre poll campaign until July 15,” said Abbasi.

A sustained but failed struggle

Opposition parties have been struggling to hand a defeat to PPP for a decade. They are questioning PPP for its 2008-2013 performance. On the eve of 2013 polls, a 10-party alliance was formed which had representation of nationalist and religious parties inclusive of JUI-F Sindh chapter that also has national leanings but the alliance was not able to make its presence felt. While the alliance was not given a formal nomenclature, it largely restricted itself to seat adjustments among component parties whose candidates contested polls on their respective party’s symbols.

This famous 10-party alliance came on the heels of introduction of dual local government law by PPP along with MQM in Sept 2012. Pir Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi, PML-F’s chief and spiritual leader of Hurs, had championed the cause of Sindh against this dual law and floated the idea of one-point ‘wipe out PPP’ agenda in Sindh. But it didn’t materialise as PPP denied the Pir’s PML-F to become the third major stakeholder in Sindh although in 2013 polls the Pir’s party tried to capitalise on nationalist sentiments following LG law debate. He now heads GDA.

The fate of another alliance i.e. Sindh Progressive Nationalist Alliance (SPNA) comprising nationalist parties of QAT, SUP and STP was no different after it was formed in March 2010. STP was first to quit ten party alliance and SPNA.

For quite some time Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party’s Dr Qadir Magsi has been advocating formation of a unified group of Sindh’s mainstream nationalist parties yet again on parliamentary front against, what he said, the feudalist PPP. His efforts remained unproductive.

He held a gathering on May 10 last year in Hyderabad to discuss the proposal, rather making an announcement of such a group with nationalist leaders and like-minded leaders of smaller groups including Syed Jalal Mahmood Shah and Ayaz Latif Palijo but the latter preferred to look the other way to cold-shoulder him. Dr Magsi adjourned the meeting till May 20. Since then there has been no update on that front.

Fresh efforts

The January 2 development has indeed come as a surprise for him when Jalal Shah along with his younger brother Syed Zain Shah, made interesting entry into the GDA fold. “It is a major development. And it a setback to the efforts on face of it. Now I realise why I was cold-shouldered [by the SUP] on the formation of such nationalist group for parliamentary politics,” was Dr Magsi’s take on SUP’s joining of GDA. His STP had avoided joining GDA ever since it was founded.

“We believe there has been no ideal performance of GDA’s leading lights when they served as ministers and chief minister that we feel inspired from. I don’t think feudals can be replacement for feudals,” the STP chairman said, alluding to the presence of two ex-chief ministers Syed Ghaus Ali Shah and Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza. Shah and Arbab had later joined PTI but Dr Zulfikar’s family has firmly stood with GDA to date.

Feudalist colour

“GDA has a feudalist colour and we want a middle class-oriented parliamentary front to trounce PPP,” Dr Magsi said, hastening to add that “I don’t dislike GDA either”. He wants to contest polls on his party’s symbol to which he devoted his life instead of some alliance’s. “We can still make seat adjustments with alliances like GDA,” he says.

Veteran nationalist leader G.M. Syed’s grandson Syed Jalal Shah’s SUP had earlier joined hands with Nawaz Sharif, incumbent supremo of PML-N, before the 2013 polls, by signing a seven-point agreement in July 2012, primarily focusing on provincial autonomy within the ambit of the 1973 Constitution, implementation of Water Accord 1991 and NFC. SUP stood disappointed as this arrangement didn’t work.

“Qadir Magsi’s idea didn’t take any shape and we decided to go with GDA as PPP has ruined everything in Sindh and I don’t rule out reaching out to [Qadir] Magsi either for GDA-led initiative in Sindh,” he says. Jalal believes there is none in Sindh at this point of time to join hands with his party against the ruling PPP for an electoral bout. He also hints at Ayaz Latif Palijo’s return to GDA.

Rasool Bux Palijo’s son, Ayaz, who had parted company with his father’s Awami Tehreek (AT) to lead his QAT, had resigned from GDA in April last year had showed disappointment over GDA’s inaction over Sindh’s core issues. He remained non-committal when approached to know whether he has second thoughts. “Can we talk to tomorrow on this point? We are discussing this [GDA],” quipped Ayaz over phone.

Safdar Abbasi optimistic

His colleague Dr Safdar Abbasi is optimistic about him, saying GDA entrusted some districts to QAT for coordination committees formation. GDA wants to bring opposition and nationalist parties to a unified platform and make seat adjustments, too. “We will build GDA’s narrative on PPP’s 15-year performance especially after floods 2022. I believe Sindh is thinking differently this time,” he opined.

Published in Dawn, january 4th, 2023