HYDERABAD: A near-easy sailing awaits the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to reclaim the top local government seats in Tando Allahyar and Tando Mohammad Khan districts it had lost to rivals in the 2005 partyless local bodies election held in the Arbab Ghulam Rahim-led government.

The party, which witnesses internecine fight in Tando Allahyar, would be edging towards victory in Tando Mohammad Khan to grab seats in the district council and the municipal and town committees comfortably.

Tando Allahyar — known for its rich fertile land — is the district where the PPP co-chairman is said to be running two sugar mills besides managing thousands of acres of farmland. The party lost it to the Magsis in the 2005 election when Dr Rahila Magsi (now a Senator) became its first district nazim. Her brother, Dr Irfan Gul Magsi, has lately rejoined the PPP. He had contested elections in 2002, 2008 and 2013 and lost in the last two.

The PPP’s five candidates in the 25-member district council, seven pairs of chairmen/vice chairmen and 35 general council members, besides six independent candidates for general members, have returned unopposed. In all, the PPP’s 47 nominees have returned unopposed. MNA Abdul Sattar Bachani’s son, Zulfiqar Bachani, has returned unopposed as member of the district council while Mashooq Pitafi, the paternal uncle of PPP MPA Imdad Pitafi, and his cousin, Zaheer Pitafi, are in the race for a district council seat.

Internecine war in Tando Allahyar

A total of 468 candidates are in the run for different seats of the district that has one district council, one municipal committee and five town committees. The heavyweights of the area — the Pitafis, Bachanis and Khokhars — all belonging to the PPP, have staked their claims to district council seats.

An internecine fight is still in sight with the Bachanis, Pitafis and Ghulam Qadir Magsi joining hands to challenge the rivals locally known as the ‘Syed group’ comprising Ali Mohammad Walhari, the PPP district president, Zia Abbas Shah and Dr Irfan Gul Magsi. Walhari is facing Mukhtiar Leghari, an independent candidate in UC Missan.

Walhari’s son has been elected a district council member unopposed form UC Baigan Jarwar.

Likewise, the PPP’s Pervez Samoon is facing Samad Memon in ward-14 thanks to Bachani’s support. The party leadership is said to be meeting on Saturday in Karachi to address grievances of the two sides. Besides, Mashooq Pitafi, is up against Raheela Magsi’s son, Mohsin Abbasi (said to be having Syed group’s support), in UC Landhi. Mohsin is contesting from UC Naseer Laghari also. Ali Nawaz Shah, the forest minister in the outgoing Sindh government, too, is vying for a district council seat.

“I believe in UCs Paksinghar, Missan and Nasarpur there is a situation where we believe candidates supported by us are true PPP workers while party awarded tickets to other side. When Imdad Pitafi lost [to Irfan Magsi] in the 2002 general elections Walhari, Sattar Bachani, Khokhars were instrumental in our defeat. Walharis’ forefathers have never been with PPP historically and even Khokhars who are with us had been challenging us previously,” says a family member of the Pitafis.

Interestingly, the Pitafis and Bachanis have silenced their guns rather turning them towards the Syed group.

Tando Allahyar district council is seeing some heavyweights vying for the council chairmanship slot as Ghulam Qadir Marri, Zulfiqar Bachani, Khair Mohammad Khokhar, Mashooq Pitafi and Ali Mohammad Walhari have joined the fray.

Besides getting her son elected, Dr Rahila Magsi seems interested in clinching seats in 25-ward municipal Committee of Tando Allahyar, which has largely urban voter-base, after reaching some understanding with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which got one of its nominees, Jamil Ahmed Khanzada, elected unopposed in ward-16. Dr Magsi’s younger sister, Adiba Gul, who had also joined the PPP with Irfan Magsi, is contesting from ward 13 and 17.

“We are trying to get as many seats of the MC as possible,” says a loyalist of Dr Magsi, who admitted that Magsis’ strength has badly shaken. “Gone are the days when those with the PPP now used to be on our side. This is how politics is locally managed. Individually, they are nothing. They faced so many things and found no option but to return to the PPP after finding the Magsis losing ground,” says a former district council representative.

Many of the Magsis’ associates rejoined the PPP soon after the 2013 or earlier LG polls after seeing no chance of the Magsis beating the PPP ever in the backdrop of the 2008 and 2013 polls. “We stood with the Magsis since 2005 and faced 32 FIRs for our commitment with them between 2008 and 2013. We can’t alone turn the tides locally,” says a former Magsi loyalist, now returned unopposed in one of town committee seats.

Tando Mohammad Khan

The PPP is likely to enjoy a safe ride in Tando Mohammad Khan to reclaim the district’s LG seats after it got 10 candidates elected unopposed in the district council that has 28 seats.

Joining of the PPP by former foes, Mir Aijaz Talpur and his son Mir Sajjad Talpur, whose family had been anti-PPP since 1988, has bolstered the party’s position even further. The Mirs locally wielded considerable influence. Aijaz’s late son Mir Inayat was elected the district nazim in the 2005 LG poll but lost to PPP’s Aijaz Shah in 2013 with a close margin on the only MPA seat.

The PPP’s three pairs of chairmen/vice chairmen are elected unopposed in addition to eight general councillors, who returned uncontested. There are 395 candidates in the run after 77 were elected unopposed in different categories. In nine wards of two town committees, PPP’s one candidate returned unopposed. Likewise, in only 19 wards of MC Tando Mohammad Khan, the PPP got five of its candidates elected uncontested.

In 14 wards, the main contestants are from the PPP, PML-F, Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Sindh United Party, a local alliance called the Shehri Ittehad and the Haq Sach Falahi Tanzeem.

MNA Naveed Qamar’s son Syed Qasim Naveed has also been elected unopposed from UC Bhaledino Sathio while he is facing SUP candidate in UC Mulakatiar. Former Sindh minister Qabool Shah’s son Syed Mohammad Saeed, who is elected unopposed from UC Saeedpur, is seeking the slot of the district council chairman in the presence of Qasim Naveed. Locally, Sarhandis are challenging PPP to make it a very tough contest in the some areas.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2015

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