ALI Abad, a small town 10km outside Larkana along Moenjodaro Road, is buzzing with activity. Party camps of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) started filling up around the afternoon, with children and young men in the majority, dancing to party anthems in Sindhi and Urdu. Most follow the tunes of old Indian movie songs, which apart from praising Imran Khan dutifully mention Shafqat Hussain Unar too.

As the person organising the rally on Nov 21, a long stretch of rice and wheat fields outside Unar’s home is being levelled. Next to the wall of Unar’s home, more labourers are busy bolstering a thick base of bricks and cement, which will work as a foundation for a 16-foot-high stage.

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A broad and bulky man, Unar joined the PTI this October. Formerly associated with the Pakistan People’s Party, which he left soon after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in Rawalpindi, Unar has some 14 years under his belt in politics. He says joining the PTI has given him hope. “I’m just a small worker,” he adds. “I don’t have a designation at the moment, but I’m willing to work a lot for the party.”

Outside, he points towards the endless fields of rice and wheat. “This space can accommodate around 200,000 people,” he says. “But, of course, we are expecting more.”

Traditionally, the Unar clan of Larkana has never stayed out of power. With a political history dating back to 1902, they exert considerable influence in the city. But now, they are out of power. Since the announcement about the PTI’s rally in Ali Abad, every political leader worth his or her salt is busy, reportedly ready to hop on the PTI bandwagon either directly or through back-door talks.

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Despite the excitement surrounding the upcoming rally, there is talk that it would not have been difficult to hold a rally in Larkana. Dr Inayat Magsi, a columnist with a Sindhi-language newspaper, explains why.

“The PTI is getting a lot of support from various influential castes that parted ways with the PPP or just got plain tired of the way the party continues to conduct itself in Sindh,” he says. “Apart from being important for Imran Khan, this rally is a way for those opposing the PPP to flex their muscles. As a result of that, it is a chance for foes as well as friends, such as Safdar Abbasi, Mumtaz Bhutto and even the Magsis and the Chandios of Qambar-Shahdadkot, to send their supporters to the rally, to make it as huge as possible.” It is said that thousands of people from a sub-tribe of the Chandios, Marfani, are also participating in the jalsa.

Apart from the Unars, the Sheikh family of Larkana is also pushing ahead, albeit subtly, to once again make a foray into mainstream politics after being sidelined by the PPP. After differences with the PPP, Nazeer Ahmed Sheikh, a former nazim of Larkana city and taluqa, joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional.

Speaking about the upcoming rally, he says: “The PPP has left a vacuum for good governance in Sindh. But I don’t see Imran Khan filling it, unless he makes his policy crystal clear on a few things. These include his stance on the division of Sindh, the Kalabagh dam, the quota system and, most importantly, extremism. If he can assure the people that he can be consistent enough to do something about these issues, then we can expect support.”

But is one rally enough for the PTI to make inroads into Sindh? Nazeer Ahmed Sheikh says: “Not at all, as the PTI does not have a proper political set-up in Sindh”.

Contradicting his father, Tariq Nazeer Sheikh says it can have an impact. President of the Traders Federation Association in the city, he says: “There’s no law and order in the city.” Showing a news clipping of Sindhi-language newspaper Kawish, he says: “There’s rampant extortion and kidnapping for ransom. There are ghost schools all across the province. The PTI speaks for the workers and the common people of Pakistan. If someone can provide them relief, then why not support that party? I haven’t heard Imran Khan saying anything that implies he is pro-Taliban.”

After the Hindus, the Sheikhs of Larkana are completely isolated in the city after their bitter departure from the PPP. With a vote bank of some 25,000 voters, it is now being said that Unar has asked Tariq Nazeer Sheikh to join the PTI. Whether he says yes or no remains to be seen, as one PTI worker in Ali Abad says: “The Sheikhs are among the educated and respected families of Larkana. So, they expect the PTI to make the first move.”

Dr Inayat says: “All the families of Larkana, be it Bhughio, Magsi, Unar, Khuhro, Bhutto or Sheikh, do not represent the middle class. They are feudal before anything else. Yes, they do have a vote bank, but when it comes to education or the growing number of ghost doctors, they keep mum. Because the lack of education works for them.”

Explaining, he says that at this moment the Jamaat-i-Islami seems more serious as it is saying all the right things, at least in its interactions in Sindh. “Last month, JI chief Sirajul Haq addressed a crowd of 5,000 in Larkana, which is interesting as I didn’t expect them to have supporters here. He spoke about the JI as a democratic, progressive party that demands justice for everyone, adding that they want to take Hindus and Christians along. I don’t hear Imran Khan saying such things. He is two steps behind.”

Nonetheless, everyone agrees on one thing: the PTI is the only party to break the “unholy nexus” between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the PPP. “He sure has the potential and the youth supporting him wholeheartedly,” says one observer. “But politically he is erratic and has no self-control, which makes me wonder whether such a person can lead?”

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014