MATIARI: Perhaps Hala’s powerful Makhdooms would never have thought that they will be facing their own trusted lieutenants one day in general elections and that too at a time when they needed them the most. This is how elections dynamics shape in Sindh.

In any case, it is going to be an exciting contest in Matiari on May 11 polls.

For now embattled Makhdooms, the friends – Raees Ali Ahmed Nizamani and Raees Nazir Ahmed Rahu - have become foes and have challenged them on their own home turf.

Both are local waderas (landowners) – considered to be influential in different pockets of Matiari district – the Makhdooms had always relied on either elections or no elections.

These elections have marked a demise of 40 years old bond between Makhdooms and their opponents, who are poised to return to the assembly.

Hala, the home of handicrafts, is where PPP was founded at its first convention back in the 1960s. Makhdoom Mohammad Zaman Talibul Maula, father of Makhdoom Amin Fahim had returned from his home constituency from NA-166 in 1977 uncontested.

NA-166 has now become NA-218 with the increase in number of seats in parliament. Amin Fahim is president PPP Parliamentarians, the official entity of the party to contest in the polls.

Matiari district is famous for its agriculture sector with particular reference to mangoes, cotton and sugarcane.

Farmlands were badly affected by rains in 2011 and farmers suffered huge monetary losses as rainwater had accumulated in lands. The rainwater's drainage had become an arduous task for growers.

The district has one NA seat – 218 with two provincial constituencies, PS-43 (Hala) and PS-44 (Matiari). Makhdooms have always been so comfortable on these seats that they were never worried about running their election campaign.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim is facing Abdul Razaq Memon, his former coordinator for Matiari district, on NA-218 while his son Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman is up against Rais Nazir Rahu on PS-43.

Rahu is the PML-F candidate and likewise Makhdoom Rafik Zaman, Fahim’s younger brother is facing PML-F’s Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote on PS-44. Jamote is former district nazim Matiari elected in party-less LB polls in 2005.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim returned uncontested in 1993 polls from NA-218. He has won in elections until 2008 comfortably.

“Its only a message of Makhdooms for seeking support for elections which is communicated to the people and that’s it,” said a resident.

“But”, continues the resident “now Qibla Makhdoom Sahab is personally leading the campaign which has made whole election scenario quite colourful”.

The Makhdooms have been returning from these constituencies and it was only in 2002 when PPP’s Makhdoom Fazal Hussain lost one seat, PS-44 thanks to Makhdoom Rafik Zaman, who was at loggerheads with Fazal. He worked against Fazal which cost him his seat.

But interestingly Fazal Hussain announced his support for the embattled, only after a message or call from President Asif Ali Zardari. Fazal has a few thousand votes in Hala and Matiari and for the Makhdooms every vote counts in these elections.

Zaman is also seriously working on PS-44. He was district nazim of undivided Hyderabad and was previously elected from Hala’s provincial assembly seat (then PS-35) in 1990.

He was elected from PS-36 in 1988 to become Sindh home minister and then returned in 1997 polls from the same seat. Makhdoom Jamil was elected in 2002 and 2008 polls from PS-43.

“The way Makhdooms are taking part in the elections shows that they are feeling the heat this time round,” comments one of their associates. But, he adds, recent developments show that they are fast gaining lost ground in their home district.

Softspoken Makhdoom Amin Fahim is the 18th and current Sajjada Nasheen of the Makhdoom Sarwar Nooh shrine, located a small distance from his haveli in Hala.

He is fully focussed on elections in the area and his work is the kind of door-to-door campaign that is usually seen in urban constituencies.

“We always take elections seriously regardless of the reasons,” he tells Dawn.com while sitting in his haveli.

Fahim has been inactive for quite some time since the 2008 elections when he was not made prime minister by PPP, then headed by President Asif Ali Zardari as its co-chairman.

“A line has been drawn in PPP that segregates old and new guards. Currently PPP is run by new ones and I have nothing to do with the present government. But PPP is not a fief of anyone as it’s a party of poor people who had given it mandate.

"People don’t want to see this party being split,” Makhdoom had told a questioner when asked whether PPP could split, on June 29,2008 while attending a book launching ceremony in Hyderabad. Then he became federal commerce minister only to face a scandal.

“I asked Nazir [Rahu] to sit with him and decide how to go about the elections but he didn’t meet me and subsequently I came to know that he has formed a ‘mahaz’ [front] against me. Its elections time and many want to become politicians so they have every right”, says Amin Fahim, who is known for giving brief replies in response to queries.

He admits that mistakes do occur and issues are resolved amicably.

For Makhdooms the trouble started last year when Awami Ittehad Matiari was formed by Nazir Rahu, Ali Ahmed Nizamani, Abdul Razaq Memon, Amir Bahzad Memon and Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote. A sitting DIG who hails from Hala has been instrumental behind formation of Awami Ittehad Matiari.

Memons live in large number in Matiari and they hold important positions in revenue, police departments and bureaucracy. So as a group they had decided to contest the elections even if it comes to fighting it as independent candidates.

President Asif Ali Zardari intervened as he is a personal friend of Nazir Rahu. He called them to Karachi in Bilawal House.

Initially, both Rahu and Nizamani had repeatedly claimed that they are not leaving PPP but they are against Makhdooms. Then they had second thoughts and finally ended up joining the PML-F.

Rahu still holds President Asif Zardari in high esteem although he didn’t accede to his request to back Makhdoom.

“Asif sahab is my saeen [elder] and brother but I told him clearly that I can’t get along with Makhdooms now,” Rahu told Dawn.com a couple of days back at his Autaq. He was upset with the fact that Makhdooms didn’t maintain any contact with him and his friends.

“We were denied jobs for our own family members and supporters. No development works were executed in my area and I had to use my own contact,” Rahu claims.

Rahu joined PML-F to end confusion among voters on May 11 because it would have been difficult for him.

Abdul Razaq Memon will contest on a different symbol while Jamote on the PML-F’s flower symbol.

“So we decided to join PML-F because we were otherwise working with each other in our Matiari based alliance,” he says.

Present elections also led to a serious controversy between the two sides when a PPP supporter lost his life in a scuffle in Hala. Amir Bahzad, Naseer Memon and Munir Arbab were locked-up.

They were released on Wednesday by the police and were accorded a warm welcome by their supporters in the district.

The disenchantment even among PPP workers grew when another party’s MPA from the area, Ameer Ali Shah Hashmi didn’t liaise with them. Workers even launched agitation against him. He was denied a ticket in the elections and has since been inactive.

The party activist also complained that they were not treated well by coordinator of Makhdoom Jamiluzzaman and that’s why their anger is directed against Makhdoom Jamil rather than his father.

Ali Ahmed Nizamani’s argument is that Makhdooms never shared details of development works in Matiari district or the jobs they had distributed among people.

“We had been telling them [Makhdoom Amin Fahim] before the elections that things should be settled otherwise the situation will change in the district during the polls which is what we are witnessing today. It is not something unusual,” says Nizamani.

He says he shares very personal kind of relations with Fahim but he had to give-up his association as things become intolerable for him.

The electoral scene is getting interesting with each passing day as Makhdoom Amin Fahim also accelerated the pace of his work in electioneering, meeting different people.

He was given a warm reception by Mumtaz Rahu, a cousin of Rais Nazir Rahu on Sunday in New Saeedabad. Apparently support within the families of Rahu and Nizamani is divided.

“People don’t have complaints against Makhdoom Amin Fahim while they do have issues with his son who had remained Sindh minister and PPP Hyderabad division president so wherever the elder Makhdoom goes, he wins support,” remarks Raza Shah, a resident of Bhitshah.

Supporters of either side have been arranging rallies in Matiari until Thursday night, when polls’ campaign would come to an end at midnight.

On Wednesday evening the Jamali community led by Mehboob Alam Jamali took out a big rally in support of Rahu from New Saeedabad.

The defection of Rahu and Nizamani has made the elections a serious affair, otherwise it is a formality for the Makhdooms.

The communities are deeply divided in different areas of the district, swearing their allegiance either off the record or openly.

Serving and retired officers who belong to this district are returning to their homes to influence elections for either side. Lets wait until May 11 to see what the future holds for Makhdooms.