July 18, 2004

Electing someone from the bourgeoisie to the post of prime minister to serve the proletariat, that’s Pakistan for you

KHETLARI is a small village in the Tharparkar region of Sindh. The area was once known as ‘the land of no people’. But with the passage of time, things changed and the village became densely populated. And this is the place from where the present Chief Minister of Sindh, Arbab Ghulam Rahim was voted to the Provincial Assembly. Khetlari is his native village.

In a couple of weeks, the people of this region will once again take part in a very important voting process. They will help Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz assume the coveted post of Pakistan’s prime minister in the by-elections in August. Let’s have a close look at this region.

Tharparkar is located in a remote area of Pakistan. The chief source of income and livelihood of its people is its livestock. Rain is the only source of water for the Thari people.

The land of Tharparkar is rich in minerals like coal, salt, natural herbs and granite. In 1988, a British company, British Overseas Development Administration, and SAZDA found a carbon-like substance from village Kharyo Ghulam Shah of the Mithi taluka. Afterwards, other Pakistani and American companies expressed their interest in the search for coal and some other minerals in the area. In the southern area of Tharparkar about 175 billion tons of coal was found. Hence, the region is also known as ‘the land of black gold’.

Apart from these special features, recently the chief minister of Sindh was also chosen from this region, something that had never happened before. And now, the next prime minister of Pakistan is also going to be elected from the same constituency. Bearing these aspects in mind, it is sad to note that the people of this region are faced with many a problem which needs to be looked into as soon as possible. What confuses the situation is the fact that they don’t have the faintest notion about who Shaukat Aziz is.

“I don’t know about Shaukat Aziz,” a shabbily dressed villager said when asked if he knew the man.

Having said that, it is not the first time that the Thari people will vote for someone they hardly know. In the past, many candidates suddenly appeared on the political horizon and contested from their constituency. Now Shaukat Aziz is going to take part in the by-polls from NA 229 Tharparkar-I, which consists of Mithi and Diplo talukas and some dehs of the Chhachhro taluka.

The constituency has 256,286 registered voters out of which about 125,000 represent different minorities. Approximately 211,73 voters live in the Diplo taluka, 716,79 in the Mithi taluka and about 140,00 minority voters live in two dehs, Chelhar and Rajoro of the Chhachhro taluka. This huge figure of minority voters may prove to be the deciding factor in the election.

The Election Commission has decided to set up 204 polling stations for the purpose, out of which 18 will be for women voters, 18 for men and 168 for both. As many as 204 presiding officers, 283 assistant presiding officers and 583 polling officers will take care of the vote-casting process.

In the last general elections (2002), Arbab Ghulam Rahim won this seat by 860,00 votes, while his opponent, Gul Mohammad Laat of the PPP, managed to get 320,00 votes. Arbab Ghulam Rahim contested for two seats, one for the Provincial Assembly from Diplo and the other for the National Assembly from the Diplo-Mithi constituency. Subsequently, he gave up the National Assembly seat and his cousin, the then taluka Nazim of Diplo, Arbab Zakaullah won the seat without facing any opposition. Now Arbab Zakaullah has vacated the seat for Shaukat Aziz.

Traditionally NA 229 is considered a shoo-in seat for members of the Arbab family. It is said that they are the descendants of Jam Nizamuddin, king of the Thatta state. Hence, the family is called Wang ja jam (Jam of Wango). Wango was once a known locality, when the Hakro sea was used as the main route for trade and other businesses. Now it is a mere bus stop, a little away from Khetlari village. Prior to 1935, when the four talukas of Thar were part of a single provincial constituency, the grandfather of Arbab Zakaullah, Khan Sahib Arbab Togachi used to win elections from here. Even Sindh’s separation from Bombay in 1943 could not affect the political status of the Arbab family and Arbab Togachi was once again elected from the same constituency.

In 1973, the elder brother of Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Arbab Ameer Hassan won the election to the Provincial Assembly from the same area. He was also a member of the Majlis-i-Shura in General Ziaul Haq’s tenure.

Arbab Ghulam Rhaim has three consecutive election wins to his credit. So, when Shaukat Aziz contests from this constituency with the help and support of the Arbab family, it is almost certain that he will be elected without confronting much opposition.

The Arbabs also belong to the Nohria community who are basically in majority in the region. The Meghwar community is in minority, but it is said that 80 per cent of them unconditionally support the Arbab family. Other communities like Lund, Bheel, Chandio, Kolhi, Jogi and Karea support the renowned family too.

Now it has to be seen how Shaukat Aziz does in the polls and how he manages to resolve the issues which have been troubling the natives of this region for long.

“I will try and change the fate of the Thari people,” said Shaukat Aziz while addressing an election gathering at Mithi. It does sound a political statement, but as someone famous said, it’s silly not to hope.

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