KARACHI: Pinning their hopes on the young scion of the Bhutto family, PPP activists and supporters from across Sindh dominated the Saturday rally that proved to be a launching pad for Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s formal entry into politics.

Though Mr Bhutto-Zardari has spoken in public before, this was the first time he addressed such a mammoth gathering in Karachi. The party supporters from Hyderabad, Tharparkar, Jamshoro, Larkana, Khairpur, Pannu Aqil, Dadu, Jacobabad and Karachi’s Korangi and University Road came in droves at Bagh-i-Jinnah around noon. Across the ground, people who had come with their respective district administrator or minister were seen sitting with placards inscribed with the name and picture of the person bringing them to the venue.

Ashiq, 23, who didn’t give his last name, was sitting with his group of friends holding placards inscribed with the name of Jam Khan from Jamshoro. About how he got here, he said, “We showed interest in coming to the rally but didn’t have the money to come here, so Jam sahib arranged for our bus tickets.” At the same time, there were others who reached Karachi on their own as they said they “wanted to hear what Bilawal has to say”.

Imam Mastoi, 30, was among the people who travelled from Hyderabad. He said: “I didn’t accept any money or help to come here. I came on my own. My brother lost his leg after the attack on the late Benazir Bhutto’s caravan near Karsaz. I want to keep this tradition of attending public rallies alive in my family.”

However, despite the packed venue, there were few people from PPP’s stronghold in Lyari, where a day ago the area elders’ committee, backed by the Peoples Amn Committee, asked residents to boycott the rally. Interestingly, despite their differences with the party reported extensively by the media, people from the Kachhi community came in a group wearing party caps and holding flags in hand. Perveen Memon, a party supporter, sitting amidst a group of women near the stage, said: “I don’t want anyone else to form government in Karachi. Whatever you hear about our differences with the PPP are all lies. He’s without a mother who sacrificed her life for us. We can’t leave him alone.”

Sitting on the other end of the ground, Abdul Rehman Kachhi said he came to the venue on his own. “He’s the last hope we have. Let’s see what he can do for us.” Those who reached the venue from various districts of the province seemed quite focused on governance and what they want the Bhutto scion to do in the near future.

Zareena Bibi, 50, says she came all the way from Jacobabad to meet Bilawal. “I want to tell him that we face a lot of problems in Jacobabad. There’s no water. They [law-enforcers] took away my son over suspicion of having drugs five years ago. I’m still looking for him; I want Bilawal to help me get him out of prison. I reached the venue after borrowing money from my neighbour,” she says. Calling out to another friend of hers, she requested to ask her a few questions too, “As they don’t have water in their home either.” Her friend, Shazia Soomro, however, spoke about her son, “who is a BSc student but sitting at home as there’s no job for him.”

Standing across them, Zahid Hussain, 31, from Qambar Shahdadkot, said at the moment people needed relief from three things: “Terrorism, unemployment and poverty. Our family has supported the Bhuttos since the time of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, that’s why I didn’t take the party’s help in getting here. I feel everyone here will agree with me when I say we need to feel secure in our country, if he [Mr Bhutto-Zardari] can ensure that is well and good.”

Similarly, Mujahid Hussain, 28, a student from Korangi, said: “The party has evolved a bit in the sense that people in far-off districts of Sindh have started asking questions. I came here with my family, and we want to convey it to the young scion, to work on the neglected sectors in Sindh, such as education, health and employment.”

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2014